The Silhouette of Your Breath
by damientwist
Summary: Tony convinces McGee to help him clean up his newly inherited mansion in Montana.Romance & a deep friendship naturally blossoms between them.Afterwards,a case will put their strength & character to the test while forcing them to make painful sacrifices.
1. Inheritance

[Disclaimer: I do not own any of the NCIS characters. I am simply writing a fan fiction using some of them.]

The idea for this story came to me when I was packing for my vacation out to Glacier National Park in Montana to visit my uncle. I actually leave for that vacation tomorrow, so hopefully I'll find (or make) some time to put up the next chapters soon!

In the meantime, **review please! **Perhaps that will spawn me to type faster... ^_^

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Chapter One_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Oh, just look at you sitting there, completely unaware that I haven't been able to keep my eyes off of you all morning. Hell, I'm not even sure if I've gotten any work __**done**__ so far. _Tony thought, tapping his fingers thoughtfully on his desk while gazing over at McGee. _You know, we've worked together for all of this time and yet we haven't gotten the chance to really talk about much of anything important. Although there was that one time we went out to grab a cup of coffee, but even that ended up being only a twenty minute chat. There always seems to be something getting in the way or coming-_

"Tony!" Ziva snapped, breaking Tony out of his trance. He jumped slightly in his chair and blinked, looking up at her frowning face. Breathing a sigh of relief that it wasn't Gibbs, he said, "Oh, hey Ziva. What's up?"

Ziva held up a single envelope and smashed it down onto Tony's desk. "The idiots in the mail room put another one of _your_ letters into _my_ mail slot." She shook her head, and threw her hands into the air. "I am sick of them putting the 'DiNozzo' mail into _my_ 'David' slot!" Turning around, she continued mumbling to herself about what she would do to the people if another one were to turn up in her slot.

Tony watched her as she walked off, and then he glanced down at the now wrinkled envelope that lay on his desk. He picked it up and looked at the return address. "A law firm in Minnesota?" He said to himself in surprise, grabbing a nearby letter opener and slicing the seal open. Tony carefully removed the papers and unfolded them, reading over what each one said.

_Rich old Uncle Clive died? _He thought, his brow furrowing. _Apparently he left me something…_ He read on, his eyes growing wide as he read even further. _He left me a home in the mountains of Montana?!? Holy shit, its four and half thousand square feet! That's five times the size of my apartment! _Tony's jaw dropped, and his fingers moved onto the next page.

_Huh, that lawyer cousin of mine included a note._ His eyes skimmed over the words typed on that page, and then Tony's mouth shut itself.

_That Uncle of mine had been sick for awhile and had been unable to visit the home in over three years? How come nobody told me he was sick?! Especially since he thought enough of me to give me a house like this! _Tony rested his face on his hand.

_P.S. All of the furniture is still inside the house. However, you may want to run by and clean it up first, because it has lain untouched for just over three years._

Tony chuckled softly to himself and shook his head. _There's always some sort of catch, DiNozzo._ He told himself, glancing over at McGee once more. Suddenly his eyebrow rose in question, and a wide grin grew across his face. _Unless someone were to come along and help me clean it all up. Then this inheritance just might end up being my golden ticket! _Tony thought excitedly, leaping to his feet and stepping towards McGee's desk.

Timothy McGee looked up from his computer screen, finding Tony hovering intently over his desk with a stupid grin on his face and some papers in his hand. Tim raised an eyebrow and stared at him, asking, "So, what's with you today?"

Tony swayed back and forth slightly, replying, "I just inherited a **huge** home nestled in the mountains of Montana."

Tim shrugged. "Not surprising. Your family is pretty wealthy."

Although Tony kept his gaze on McGee, he turned his attention back to his monitor and busily clicked away at the keyboard. Glancing around to be sure Gibbs wasn't nearby, Tony leaned even closer to McGee. "You know, the place hasn't been visited in over three years." He added, lowering his voice. "That means it's pretty dusty inside."

McGee looked up at Tony once more, knowing that he was not one to go into details about many things. "What's your point?"

"In case you have forgotten, McSaver, you still have over five weeks of vacation stored up that you can use at any time. I, however, have only three."

McGee sighed. "Oh, great. I have a pretty good guess as to where this is going."

_Come on, Timothy…work with me here! _Tony thought, widening his eyes and gently biting down on his lower lip, forcing it to tremble softly under his teeth. "Please, please, _please_ will you take three weeks off for vacation and fly out to Montana with me to clean up this house?" He asked. "I'll even cover your airfare and food if you'd like. All you have to do is come with and do your share of the job."

McGee laughed, glancing away from Tony before responding, "There's no way Gibbs will let both of us off for three weeks straight! What if a case comes up?"

"That's what they've got replacements for. Plus if I were to tell Gibbs now, he would have plenty of time to find two suitable people."

McGee sighed at Tony's point, and then asked, "We really need three weeks to clean up a house?"

Tony paused, not having fully contemplated his plan. "Uh, well, it _is_ a rather large house…it's supposed to be four and a half thousand square feet, not including the added indoor pool in the back. Besides, I'll probably just end up selling it in the end, so I want it to look perfect when potential buyers come through." He mentally crossed his fingers, hoping that he could convince McGee to travel out there with him for all that time.

McGee pushed his chair back slightly and clicked the mouse on his computer a few times. He glanced up at Tony again, whose eyes were still glued to McGee's face. "I'm not so sure it will be safe to go right now. It's going to start snowing over there sometime next week, and winter in the mountains is even more dangerous then the ones we have around here."

Tony sighed, and then distracted himself with the letter in his hand. A second later, his finger flew onto the page and he exclaimed, "Aha!" Tim twitched from the sudden noise, and Tony continued, "What do you know, there's even a heated feature in the pool. Plus there's a fancy library he built four years back. Ooh, there's even _three_ fireplaces! Looks like you don't have to worry about getting cold, Probie."

McGee sat back in his chair and began stroking his chin, mumbling, "An all expenses paid trip out to Montana, you say…"

"Uh, to help me clean." Tony added, reaching up and straightening his tie to distract himself from looking at McGee's cute pondering face.

Within a few moments, he was nodding his head, then shrugging. "What the heck. I could use some time away from the office."

Tony's face lit up with another huge smile. "Great! I'll go let Gibbs know that we'll be leaving next Friday for three weeks. That should be enough time for him to call in some replacements." He turned around and was about to walk off, then he added, "And McGee?"

Tim looked up at Tony. "Yes?"

"Thanks. I can really use your help out there." He winked at McGee before turning back around and heading off in the direction of Gibb's office.

As Tony walked briskly down the hall, Tim found himself still fixated on the back of Tony's head, his eyes soon wandering down his spine and stopping on his butt. He stared there for several seconds before realizing what he was doing, and then he blinked rapidly and forced his eyes to wander elsewhere. Shaking his head, he looked back down at his computer.

_McGee, what have you gotten yourself into…_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -


	2. First Day

I'm out here in Montana as I write this, and for being almost the middle of July it is freezing cold! Temperatures in the 50's up here where I'm at...

_Chapter Two_

_The following Friday_

"McGee, I've got a feeling we're not in Washington D.C. anymore." Tony said with a smirk on his face as he rotated the steering wheel from one angle to the next. As much as he wanted to glance over at McGee, he knew that he had to keep his eyes on the twisted mountain road so that they wouldn't end up accidentally driving off into a ravine. The bright headlights on the black SUV were the only things that lit up the surrounding area, for the sun had set just an hour before they had touched down in Montana.

McGee rolled his eyes at yet another one of Tony's movie quotes, but couldn't help smiling. "This is a neat winding driveway." He commented, glancing down at his watch. "What do you know, we have officially been on it for eleven minutes now." McGee looked up at Tony, who was chuckling and squinting to try and see what lay ahead. "Does it have an end, or did you just inherit a huge piece of land with one long stretch of pavement?" McGee asked, his supposedly sarcastic question sounding more like an intended one.

"Well, Probie, the word _secluded_ **was** in the description."

A few seconds of silence ticked by, and then Tony's eyes returned to their normal size. He took one of his hands off of the wheel and shot one finger forward, pointing to a dark shadow that the headlights had skimmed over.

"Right up there! That mass in the darkness must be it!" He said enthusiastically, the large shape gradually getting closer to them as Tony pressed a little harder on the gas pedal. Wanting to be sure of what it was, McGee kept his attention focused on the emerging shape, which gradually morphed in the beams of oncoming light into a large and ornate grey brick mansion.

"Wow, Tony." McGee said, shielding his eyes from the light that reflected off of the windows. "Even in the dark, you can tell that this is an incredible house." Tony let himself take a quick peek off of the road to get a glimpse of his inheritance, and once his eyes saw the patches of grey from the car's glow and the magnificently structured silhouette of what appeared to be a Victorian style building, he almost forgot to look back down.

_Jesus, that's one fancy home! _He thought, pulling the car right up to the double wide garage door. _All of this time, I never knew Uncle Clive had this little gem. _Tony put the car in park, and both he and McGee climbed out. _Then again, none of his relatives knew about this place until he croaked and his will floated to the surface. _Tony walked around to the back of the car and popped the trunk open. _Well, the poor guy __**was **__a total hermit. I'm just glad that my Probie agreed to come out here on this mini-adventure with me._

"It's too bad we didn't get here in the day." McGee commented, grabbing his luggage and lifting it out. "Then we could have seen the full splendor of this place."

Tony nodded in agreement, closing the trunk after getting his own bags out. "Yeah, I bet."

With only the gentle humming of the parked car and the soft illumination of the dimmed lights to guide them, Tony and McGee wandered up to the front door and immediately felt overwhelmed by its size.

"Looks like Uncle Clive spared no expense on this place." Tony said, running his fingers over the dirty stained glass panels that were set into a solid wood door. He glanced over his shoulder at McGee, who had wandered out of the light stream and was gazing around in its faint expansion, taking in all that he saw.

"I wonder where this brick is from." He called out to Tony from further down the side of the house. "The texture indicates that it's at least eighty years old, and judging by the fact that I can't feel any cracks probably means its some sort of stone-clay blend."

Tony raised an eyebrow and gave McGee a questioning look, although he couldn't see his expression from where he stood. _Quit being such an adorable nerd and get your ass back here! _Tony found himself thinking. He chuckled softly until those thoughts subsided, then he said, "Hey McGeek, you done analyzing the walls of my house yet? In case you've forgotten, I asked you to come help me with the _inside_!" He stuffed the key into the lock and turned it, hearing a distinct click and pushing on it until it popped open. A cloud of dust greeted him as he stepped inside, and he coughed as it enveloped the lining of his throat and nostrils.

"Oh God," He managed to get out, exploding in a sneeze a moment later. McGee stepped into the doorway a second after, coughing a little himself and brushing some of the air away from his face. He shut his eyes and rubbed their lids. "Phew! This will sure be fun to clean."

Tony sniffled and took a few steps towards a wall. Flipping on a switch, the entire front room lit up from a cast iron chandelier that hung above, so rich in cobwebs and dust that it almost appeared to be covered in gentle lace. Even still, both of the men stood and looked around the room in wonder, noticing that the walls were all a royal blue color that stood out vibrantly against all the dormant filth. The hardwood flooring beneath their feet was coated by a thin layer of grime, and the true beauty of all the artwork that had remained untouched for so long was masked by a fine sheet of dust.

"Damn, my Uncle _really_ had a _**nice**_ place!" Tony said excitedly, coughing again from the stirred up dirt.

McGee nodded in agreement. "Funny though, it's not very cold in here considering the heat isn't on and its winter outside."

Tony shrugged. "I guess it must be heavily insulated. It would need to be, though, since it can get over fifty below zero outside. Regular insulation wouldn't be thick enough."

McGee took a silent step forward and gently shut the door behind him. Turning back to face Tony, he asked, "If nobody has been here in three years, how come these lights are working?"

Tony hauled two large bags onto the top of the empty decorative table that stood in the center, turning his face to the side so that minimal amounts of dust would get to him as he placed them down with a thud.

"From what I've found out, dearly departed Clive was a big fan of energy efficient devices. When he had this house built a few decades ago, he asked that instead of hooking him up to underground electric cables they should build him his own solar generator." Tony pulled a few cleaning supplies out of a bag, and continued, "Oh, but that's just the beginning. He also had a water purifier hooked up to the solar generator that connects to the nearby rivers and mountain streams and brings it here to the house." Glancing up at McGee, he found him to be listening intently, blinking his large green eyes to show that he was following along. Tony eyed up McGee, and then added, "As for the sewage, he had a massive underground tank installed that was also powered by the solar generators to dispose of the waste. The end result of all his eco-mania? No bills whatsoever." Tony held two Swiffer dust mops in his hand, holding one out to McGee. "Here. Use it while we explore the rest of this monster." McGee took the mop from Tony and followed his lead as they began to wander through more rooms of the mansion, discovering each space to have its own variation of beauty.

It was the double cedar doors of the next room, however, that caught McGee's attention. He gingerly wrapped his fingers around a knob and turned, sticking his head inside and brushing his fingers against the wall until the room was lit. To his delight, as his eyes readjusted themselves, he came to focus on huge shelves from ceiling to floor, graced by all colors and sizes of books. His inner author caused him to let out a small squeal of excitement, and a huge smile exploded onto his face as he began dashing all about the old library, completely ignoring any and all dust that was attempting to get in between him and his precious find.

Tony wandered inside several minutes later, his dust mop held out like a sword. He had a determined look on his face, and he vehemently declared, "Say hello to my little friend, dust fiends." Swinging it around and cleaning off one shelf after another, he almost seemed to be having too much fun tidying up his new home. McGee, however, barely noticed this, for he had his nose buried in all sorts of old and rare books.

"Tony, your uncle has the original copies of half the classics!" McGee said, happily skimming over each page and caressing each cover. Tony paused his cleaning and glanced over at him, spying McGee to have already surrounded himself with books. He lowered his mop and straightened his shirt, sauntering over to where McGee stood. Chuckling to himself, he turned his attention to the bookshelf in front of him and glanced over each spine, searching for one in particular. "You're like a kid in a candy store, McNerd."

McGee happily shook his head, a smile growing on his face. "Well I'm pretty sure you're the kid that spent all his candy money on Scarface movies."

Tony glanced over at McGee, giving him a playful frown. "Hey, don't diss the classics." He pulled a book off the shelf and read over the cover, then turned and moved closer to McGee.

"To each his own," McGee replied, his attention shifting over to the original manuscript of Agatha Christie's first work. Suddenly another book was stuffed into his face, and when he brought his head back he realized it to be one of his own works.

"Your uncle read my books?" McGee asked, a pleased look on his face as he set down the book in his hands and took the other one from Tony, who shrugged in response. Placing his hand on McGee's shoulder, he said, "I don't see why not. You're a very talented author." He gave McGee a soft smile, then patted him before taking his hand away. McGee could feel his face growing warm, and he was thankful that Tony had already moved across the room and wasn't able to see his cheeks flush a light pink.

"So who's sleeping in what room tonight?" McGee asked, glancing over the back of another book to keep himself from staring at Tony. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Tony walking towards the library door. He stopped and leaned against it, crossing his arms and nodding his head once in the direction of the stairs.

"Come with me and I'll let you pick out what bedroom you want first." Tony said, watching as McGee quickly but carefully put all the books he had removed back in their proper places. "Unless you want to share a room or something." He added quietly, looking down at the floor then back up at McGee.

McGee wandered over to Tony while scratching the back of his neck. "Well, it is pretty late. I imagine it would be a lot of work to clean up two whole bedrooms, and I wouldn't want to cause you a big hassle or anything." Tony felt his heartbeat increase, and he watched as McGee began to fumble with his fingers, gazing everywhere in the room but directly at him.

Tony laughed softly at the sight of McGee growing nervous, and then replied, "No, I already went through all four bedrooms and did a brief but bearable cleaning." He saw McGee begin to relax, then added, "I'll let you pick first, Probie, since you _are_ my guest." Tony held out his arms in a hospitable fashion, and McGee followed him as he left the room and headed up the grand staircase.

_Besides, it would be too much of a temptation for me if we shared a bedroom. I'm not sure I would be able to keep my hands to myself._ Tony thought, stopping just outside of the first bedroom. McGee stepped in front of him and glanced around inside, finding the room to be a rich shade of purple with a dark mahogany armoire along with a matching queen sized bed.

"This will be fine for me." McGee said, taking a step back and standing next to Tony, who looked at him and grinned. "A room fit for a queen. You know, there are three other bedrooms, two of which have king sized beds-"

"This is fine, Tony." McGee insisted, grinning back at him. "Besides, I'd probably get lonely on such a massive bed." Tony bit down on his lip and sighed. Shrugging his shoulders, he replied, "Alright then, McWeird, I'll take the bedroom right next to you, where the _king_ sized bed is." McGee rolled his eyes and shook his head, taking a step into the room.

"Plus if there is a chance that you do get lonely in there," Tony added. McGee paused and turned around, facing Tony as he finished, "I'll be right next door." He smirked at McGee, who chuckled uncertainly in response.

"Okay, good to know." He answered, pulling off his jacket.

Tony swallowed as he watched McGee begin to unbutton his shirt. "Do you want me to bring your stuff up here?"

McGee nodded. "Sure, but please leave it at the door. I'm pretty tired, so I'm just going to sleep in my boxers."

Tony paused, licking his lips before replying, "Goodnight then, McGee."

"Goodnight Tony," McGee replied, closing his bedroom door softly. Tony turned around slowly and began his descent down the stairs to grab their luggage, thoughts of McGee in his boxer shorts filling his mind. He smacked himself in the forehead, dragging his hand down the rest of his face as he let out a steady sigh.

_Pull yourself together, DiNozzo! Don't let yourself get so wrapped up in him. _Tony scolded himself as he wrapped his fingers around the two bags and headed back up the stairs. _I just can't figure out why I am becoming this attracted to him. He's definitely not a woman, which is what I'm all to well known for going after, yet lately when I've been around him he's all I'm able to focus on. _Tony felt his eye twitch. _I honestly can't even remember the last time I slept with a woman. That's just tragic. _

With very soft steps, Tony stepped toward McGee's bedroom and placed his suitcase just outside. He then tiptoed into his own room, not wanting to disturb McGee in case he was already asleep.

_Or is it? _Tony wondered, setting his own luggage on top of an ottoman and unzipping it. _Maybe I've been attracted to McGee for longer then I'm willing to admit. The more time I spend thinking about it, the more I realize that he has always played a part of the things that go on in my life, even the personal ones. He came out here with me, for instance. Then again it could mean something else…_ He pondered, unpacking the few necessary items he had to use before going to bed. _I could just be overanalyzing the situation, though. McGee's always been more of the awkward, nervous type._ _Whatever the case may be, I'm just happy that he's sleeping in the room next door. _Tony thought before removing his jacket and formal clothes, slipping himself into a comfortable pair of pajamas before falling into bed for the night.

_I guess we'll just see what happens between us._

...

Rays of sunlight pierced Tony's eyes and he groaned, turning over in bed. A waft of scented air drifted past his nose, and the more he sniffed it the further up in bed he sat.

_It almost smells like sausage and pancakes._ He thought, climbing out of bed and getting to his feet. As he sauntered down the staircase the smell only grew stronger, and as he followed the scent into the kitchen he found it to be spotlessly clean. McGee stood in the center of the aromatic room, wearing a red apron and a soft smile. "Morning, sleepyhead." McGee greeted while flipping a pancake.

Tony yawned and stretched his hands into the air, letting them drop down to his sides with a heavy sigh. "Morning, Probie. Since when did you become Betty Crocker?" He asked sarcastically, pulling a chair out by the table and plopping himself into it. McGee immediately came over, carrying with him a plate of warm food and some silverware.

"How did you clean up the kitchen so fast?" Tony asked, staring at the steaming food placed in front of him.

"Well, I woke up around six this morning and couldn't go back to sleep, so I decided to make myself useful and clean up something. Figured the kitchen would be one of the rooms we use the most, so I decided it needed to be fixed first."

Tony nodded and stabbed his egg with the tip of his fork. "Where did you get this food from?"

"I took the car and drove to a town about fifty miles from here and picked up several things at the grocery store. Afterwards I came back here and had to rid the fridge and pantry of its old food and replace it with the fresh stuff." He chuckled. "Let me tell you, there were some nasty things in there. Half of the stuff had turned a color that I'd never even seen before." He glanced over his shoulder and watched Tony stuff part of a pancake into his mouth. "Then I washed off all the dishes and silverware, and decided that making you a nice breakfast would just be a little thank you for covering all of my expenses."

Tony spread some butter over a slice of toast, his mouth watering at the smell of its freshness. "You really didn't have to do all of this."

McGee stopped what he was doing and turned around, giving Tony a satisfied smile. "I wanted to. Plus what else would I have spent five hours doing?" McGee replied.

Tony glanced down at his watch, realizing that it was now a few minutes past eleven A.M. "Shit, I slept late." He mumbled, setting his fork on top of his empty plate.

"You probably needed it." McGee commented as he rinsed off a large pan.

_That apron is actually quite attractive on him. _Tony thought as he got to his feet, bringing his dish over to the sink. "Thanks for breakfast, McGee." He said. McGee nodded and held out his hands. "I can take that for you." Tony blinked, then allowed him to take the plate. As McGee removed the dish from Tony's grip, their fingers lightly brushed each others, sending a pleasant sensation that Tony had never felt before tingling up his back. As he took a step backwards, he felt the back of his calf brush against something cold. Glancing down, he spied a Battleship game sticking out from underneath a pile of napkins. He reached down and pulled it out from the shelf, looking it over before holding it up.

"Bet you can't sink my battle ship." Tony said with a grin. McGee bent over and placed some items into the dishwasher, and then looked at Tony as he brought himself back up. Taking a step closer, he gazed directly into his eyes and smirked. "Let's just see about that."

...

_Psst…the next chapter involves a frozen generator, the first winter snowfall, and a candle lit dinner!_

_How do you think they stay warm before the weather permits Tony to go outside and fix their source of heat and electricity? _


	3. Second Day

_Chapter Three_

...

Tony sat near one of the kitchen windows the following morning, a cup of black coffee in his grip. He gazed outside at the white ground and smiled, taking another sip from his mug.

"You were right, McGee."

Sitting adjacent to him, McGee was busily clicking away on his portable computer. Having heard his name, he stopped typing and glanced up at Tony. "About what?"

Tony looked over at McGee and motioned out the window. "That it was going to snow." He lifted the warm mug to his lips again and drank some more. "What surprises me is that it looks like it's only a few inches thick out there. You would think that being at a significantly higher elevation the snowfall would be more, more…" His eyes wandered all around the room as if searching for the perfect word, and McGee patiently waited.

"Intense." He concluded, a look of satisfaction filling his face.

McGee chuckled and gazed up at the sky, and then his attention flew back down to his computer and he rapidly typed something.

"According to the weather report, we are due for a large snowstorm later this afternoon, which combined with possible high winds could create a blizzard." He said to Tony, who nodded his head in response.

"That sounds serious, Probie." Tony replied, keeping his focus on the window before turning his head to look right at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but then paused to set his mug on top of a coaster. "Knowing what we do about what the weather will be like as the day goes on, I think now would be a good time to go on a walk. Get some exercise, see the surrounding woods, stare up at the wondrous mountain peaks…" Tony's words faded out, and he traced his fingertip along the rim of the coffee cup. "You even commented yesterday about wanting to see what the 'full splendor' of this place is in the day, remember?"

McGee looked at Tony as though he were crazy, then raised his eyebrow and laughed softly when he realized that he wasn't joking. "You do realize that if we're out there when the blizzard starts we won't stand a chance, right?"

Tony shrugged. "Point made." He shifted in his seat, and then continued, "We can stay near the house if it makes you feel more comfortable. That way we can just dash inside once the snow hits." Tony folded his hands underneath his chin and rested his head on top. He stared directly at McGee, waiting for him to give an answer. Watching Tony for a moment, McGee then decided to mirror his movements, pushing his computer off to the side and propping himself up in the same fashion as he. With locked gazes, they simply looked into each other's eyes for several seconds without blinking, and the corner of McGee's lips turned up into a small grin.

_Damn it, Probie. If you're going to play cute, I'm going to fight back. _Tony thought before batting his eyelashes at McGee. He heard McGee start to chuckle, and then his grin turned into a full smile. Laughing, he gently shook his head. "Alright, fine. I'll go outside with you for a _short_ amount of time so long as we don't wander too far into the woods."

A wide smile covered Tony's face. "That's my Probie!" He declared, leaping to his feet. "I'll go grab our hats, coats, and scarves. Did I mention that it's probably just over three degrees out?" McGee's eyes widened and Tony quickly turned around, jogging up the stairs to retrieve their things. McGee laughed nervously and glanced out the window again, noticing several dark clouds moving in from the North. "Oh, great." He muttered to himself. "Tony, I don't know how you manage to do it, but every time you figure out a way to entice me into doing things I normally wouldn't even consider." He sighed gently and glanced over his shoulder, hearing Tony making his way back down the stairs. _You're just too charming for your own good, and with such an attractive face you simply become impossible to say no to._ He added in his mind as Tony walked back into the room, holding all of their winter wear.

"Alright, so I realized that your gloves aren't exactly the best for this climate, but after some digging I found an extra pair of Arctic-worthy ones in my suitcase that you can use." Tony said, holding McGee's things out to him. After turning off his laptop, McGee stood up and took the items from him, nodding as he slid the gloves on. "These fit great." Tony had already put his coat on, and was fumbling around with getting the scarf wrapped around his neck just right. "I didn't want you to have come all the way out here just to freeze. You're lucky that I packed extra ones."

McGee glanced up after he had finished buttoning his jacket, observing Tony as he did the same. "Are you ready to wander out into the bitter cold?" Tony asked just as he finished fastening up the last button on his coat. McGee nodded and shrugged. "Sure, I guess that I'm good to go." They both took a few steps closer in the same direction and almost bumped into each other, but were able to stop themselves before doing so. McGee and Tony stood completely still with their eyes focused on one another's, seemingly frozen in time. Although neither of them said anything, they were silently growing warmer and warmer with each second that passed by. Tony gulped and glanced down at McGee's slightly moist lips, thoughts of his own covering them passing through his mind.

_What is this guy doing to me?_ Tony thought, watching as a smirk developed on McGee's face. At first, Tony wondered if McGee had somehow possibly heard what he had been thinking, and he promptly swallowed all such thoughts back down.

"Why don't we go out the front door?" Tony suggested, pulling himself a step back from McGee. He nodded, and the two of them headed towards the front of the house, exiting the door and shutting it behind them with a soft click. Their shoes made a soft crunching sound as they broke into the first layer of snow, and the silhouette of their breath hung thick and heavy in the bitter air of winter.

"You better keep your eyes open, McGee. A tribe of headhunters used to live on this land." Tony said, bearing a half serious expression. McGee made a disgusted face and replied, "Oh, lovely."

Tony then released a laugh, and momentarily squinted to try and see over the almost blindingly white blanket that covered the ground. "I'm just pulling your leg, Probie. I don't think there were any headhunters around here. However, this house _was_ built on Indian territory." He said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "This whole estate is technically on the Blackfeet Indian reservation. Uncle Clive was half Blackfoot."

McGee nodded to show his interest, then asked, "Speaking of your uncle, how come you're not upset about his death? Did you not know him very well?"

"No, I didn't know him at all. I might have met him once at a funeral or a wedding, but we didn't have any sort of relationship."

"Then what would prompt him to give you a place like this?"

Tony sighed, and a gust of wind blew past and carried his moist air away. "I have no idea, but I'm certainly not going to complain about it."

Suddenly Tony felt warmth on his chest, and he looked down to find McGee's hand in the center holding him back. He swallowed and glanced up at McGee, who had his finger pressed to his lips to signal for silence. Tilting his head off to one side, he motioned for Tony to look in that direction. Wondering what was going on, he quickly turned his attention to the side. His eyes grew wide and his mouth slipped open in surprise, for only twenty feet from them stood a large moose with antlers that sat upon his head like a mighty crown. The creature was focused on eating up all the little green shrubs that it could find, and it had not noticed the two approaching humans yet.

"This is unbelievable!" Tony whispered to McGee. "I didn't expect to run into this. Otherwise I would have brought my camera."

McGee shook his head and pointed in another direction. "We shouldn't disturb him." Tony stared at the moose for a few more moments, then nodded and tiptoed away with McGee. As they continued on their way, a couple of small white rabbits darted across their path into another set of bushes, and McGee had almost stepped on one.

"Wow, this place sure is teeming with life for being so damned cold!" Tony commented as McGee regained his footing. An idea suddenly popped into Tony's head, and if McGee had been facing him he would have noticed how his complexion had spontaneously lit up. Bending over, Tony began to pack a handful of snow into a nice sized ball, chuckling to himself as it took its form. He brought himself to his feet and placed his hands behind his back, hiding his little surprise. Tony took a couple of steps closer, and as McGee began to turn around he lifted up his snowball and tossed it into his face.

"Think fast!" Tony shouted just as it smacked into him. McGee took a step back in surprise, and as he started to wipe off his face, Tony began to innocently saunter over. McGee scraped the snow off of his eyes and stared straight at Tony, who was wearing a grin that even the Cheshire cat would have been envious of. Leaning closer to him, Tony whispered, "Oops. It must have slipped." McGee's expression remained stagnant, his eyes blankly staring into Tony's. Suddenly McGee's hand flew up and stuffed a decent amount of snow onto Tony, smothering his grin away. Tony brought his hand up and swiped it all off, and he found McGee to be smiling at him in satisfaction.

"Snow looks good on you." He commented. Tony bent over once more, grabbing another handful of snow. He held it next to his face and raised an eyebrow, then replied, "You know this means war, right?" McGee's eyes grew wide as Tony gently smacked him with it. Tony laughed and took a step back, and after McGee had removed the snow he did the same. They both picked up small clusters of snow and began to toss it at one another, half the time missing their target. The two guys continued tossing and kicking up snow at one another, and soon both of them fell to the ground with chilled skin and wide grins.

"Okay Tony, I think you won." McGee said as he rubbed his cheeks to warm them up. Tony nodded and glanced up at the sky, finding it to have turned a light shade of grey.

"We should probably head back to the house now." He replied, pulling himself to his feet. Holding his hand out to McGee, he asked, "Need help getting up?"

McGee gazed at his hand for a moment, then looked up at his face. He slipped his hand into Tony's and was brought to his feet. He felt incredibly warm from the tingles that shot up his arm, and was suddenly thankful that he could blame the frigid air for the redness of his cheeks.

Glancing down at their joined hands, Tony quickly took his back and turned towards the house. McGee released a soft sigh, and they both walked back to the house in silence.

Almost instantly after Tony had shut the door behind them, snow began to gently fall from the sky, landing on top of what was already there. McGee glanced out the window as he set his coat and gloves on top of a table. "Good thing we came in when we did." He said, glancing over just as Tony set his coat next to his.

"Yeah." Tony replied, relaxing himself against the wall. "Wasn't that worth your while, Probie?" He asked, crossing his arms. McGee grinned slightly and took a step closer to him. Tony felt his pulse increase as McGee pressed one of his fingers against his chest and placed his other hand onto his own hip. Lightly shaking his head, he replied, "I'll have you know that I let you win."

Tony chuckled once in surprise. "As if, McGee. You just didn't want to be completely humiliated by me, so you quit while you were ahead."

McGee quickly glanced out the window, noticing that the snowfall was becoming more intense. "Once it lightens up out there, how about we have a rematch?"

Tony grabbed McGee's finger and pushed it down to his side. "You're on." He replied, stepping to the side and walking a few feet away from McGee.

"In the meantime, how about we go and clean up another room? I've already moved all of the supplies into the next dirty part of the house." He said, turning back around to face McGee. "Alright." He said, following Tony as they headed off into the back rooms. For the next two hours, they gave a complete and thorough cleaning to three whole rooms, and even had found an old version of Scrabble and had set it up to play a game. Just as McGee was about to make the first move, all of the lights in the room suddenly went off.

"That's not good." Tony said, glancing at the windows that were now their source of light. His jaw dropped open, and he got up and moved closer to a window. Gazing outside, he realized that the snow was now falling so heavily that there was a whiteout, and there was nothing that could be seen. McGee got up and stood next to Tony, taking in what he saw.

"I've never seen a blizzard this intense before." He said, glancing over at Tony.

"The storm must have frozen up the generator." He said, sighing. "I should have remembered that it hasn't had any kind of maintenance in awhile. If I had just gone and tampered with it when we were outside, this wouldn't have happened."

McGee shrugged. "Neither of us knew that it was going to be severe enough to knock out the generator." Tony took a step closer and peered at the snowfall. "There's a backup generator out back that's protected by a shed, but I would have to go outside and turn it on manually. Since the snowstorm has frozen up the main power lines, the backup one is not going to be able to switch on by itself."

McGee shook his head. "Then I guess we won't have any power until this storm dies down."

"I can go outside now and turn it on."

McGee turned to look at Tony. "I'm not going to let you go out there and kill yourself just to get the power back on." Tony opened his mouth to respond, but McGee held up a hand in protest. "No, Tony. I won't let you go out there until the snowfall has lessened." Tony bit down on his lip and frowned slightly, but was glad that McGee was concerned about his safety. "Alright, fair enough. This means that we'll be eating our meals by candlelight until I can go fix the generator." He replied, and McGee watched him as he went and sat back down in front of the Scrabble board.

...

Three hours later, the powerful storm was still raging outside. It was now just after six o'clock in the evening, but the snow had blocked out the remaining sunlight and cloaked most of the house in darkness. Tony struck a match against the side of a box and used it to light up another candle, and he gently pushed it to the center of the table. McGee sat on the other end, nervously watching as Tony blew out the match and sat himself down in a chair. He looked up at McGee and smiled, enjoying the way he looked from the glow of the little flames. "Well, isn't this romantic." He remarked, hoping that he had sounded at least somewhat sarcastic.

McGee chuckled, feeling himself become warmer. Tony was about to comment about the light flush he noticed in his cheeks, but then McGee replied, "Oh yeah, a raging blizzard just outside of the house that is bad enough to block out most of the sun and make us eat by candle light is exactly what comes to my mind when I think of a romantic dinner."

_McGee, you always ramble when you're nervous or when something really matters to you._ Tony thought to himself, watching as McGee began to serve their meal. _It's so cute when you do that._

Shortly after dinner, McGee and Tony brought the candles into the living room and set them up so that most of the space could be lit. McGee plopped himself down onto a couch and wrapped himself up in a blanket he had taken from his room. Tony sat himself down next to him and watched McGee shiver slightly. Seeing him shake once was too much, and so Tony grabbed the side of his blanket and opened it up. "What are you doing?" McGee asked, watching Tony scoot inside his blanket and close it over his body, trapping both of them under the same one.

"Uh, if we cuddle, our joined body heat will keep us warmer." He answered, coming up with an excuse to get closer. McGee complied, and Tony rested his head on top of McGee's shoulder. He waited a moment, then wrapped both of his arms around McGee's waist as well. He felt McGee shift slightly underneath him, but to his pleasant surprise he did not push him away.

"So Probie, do you ever see yourself settling down?" Tony asked. "Finding someone who you can always cuddle with like this?"

McGee smiled anxiously, and Tony felt him tense up. _We're only cuddling to stay warm._ McGee told himself before replying, "Yeah, I've always thought it would be nice to have someone like that…but I'm not sure that the person I have an interest in has any sort of mutual interest in me." _I'm not sure if you're playing games, Tony._ McGee thought.

"What? Impossible. My Probalicious is perfectly perfect." Tony replied. "Anyone that has your interest would be lucky to have you."

McGee hoped Tony couldn't feel his heartbeat getting faster. "Really? How come?"

Tony scooted a little closer to McGee, his arms getting a little tighter around him. "You're uber intelligent, for starters. You have a nice personality and a mind blowing book series. Oh, plus once you've actually gotten engaged in a conversation, you hold your own pretty well." He said, feeling McGee relax somewhat. "You're a rather impressive person." Tony added. _Not to mention adorable as hell._

McGee swallowed hard, suddenly feeling a little bit too warm. "Thanks, Tony. Those were really nice things to say." He responded, glancing across the room in search of a new topic. "Tony, how did you get over your past relationships? I remember hearing about a few of them, and they were pretty gruesome-sounding." He stretched his arm across Tony's shoulder and rested his hand there, allowing Tony to get even closer to him.

"Well, they…they just didn't fit. Y'know? Most of the time I was just able to absorb the pain and move on, but a few…" He paused and bit down on his lip for a moment. "A few took me to the bottom of every kind of alcohol you can think of."

McGee was somewhat shocked that Tony was opening up like this to him. He was silent for a second and mentally calculated whether or not he should ask the question he had been meaning to for a little while, but then decided to just take the chance.

"Are you looking for anyone special?" McGee asked, curious as to what Tony's answer would be.

_Have you been studying a book on mind reading, McGeek?_ Tony thought to himself. "In a way, yes, but I am interested in someone." He replied, pressing his cheek down onto McGee's warm shoulder.

"Oh…do I know this lucky lady?" McGee replied, his hopes sinking a little. Tony froze for a second, caught off guard by McGee's question. "Uh, yeah, of course you know her." He answered nonchalantly, half wishing that he had told the truth and said 'him' instead of 'her'. At the same time, he knew by telling McGee that another man held his interest he would have given himself away.

_I don't know how long I can keep this up for…_Tony thought, wondering why McGee didn't bother to ask who 'she' was. _You know, Probie, I think I might just have to tell you how I really feel. If I don't, who knows how crazy I may become. Besides, you're a risk I'm willing to take._

...

_The next chapter involves an old record player, a Marvin Gaye song, and some dancing..._

_...along with a few other things which you will just have to read to find out!_

**Please review!**


	4. Fourth Day

Psst...if you've never heard the song that Tony and McGee dance to ('Ain't No Mountain High Enough') then you better look it up on YouTube. Besides, if you hear the song you can picture the scene better.

_Chapter Four_

...

After the snowstorm had subsided the previous evening, Tony had been able to make his way out to the shed and power up the backup generator, successfully reheating and relighting the entirety of the house. While he had been out there, the thought of a roaring fireplace had crossed his mind, and after stumbling upon a sharp axe hanging on the far wall he had promptly taken it down. Using McGee's assistance, Tony and he had scoped out some good trees for firewood and had spent the next half hour chopping some of them down. The snowstorm had picked up once again, however, and they had only been able to get a few of the logs inside.

The current day held promise of fair weather, and according to what McGee had read there wasn't supposed to be any snow at all for the next eighteen hours. That, of course, didn't help with the fact that there were already just over three feet of it coating the entire property. Tony had simply smiled when McGee had asked him how they would venture through it much less get out the front door, and he had left McGee puzzled at the base of the stairs as he disappeared onto the second floor. When he had returned, he was holding two sets of snowshoes and a decent sized shovel, claiming that he always tried to be one step ahead of whatever the weather could bring on.

After they had spent roughly three hours finding and cutting down the necessary amount of wood, McGee and Tony had loaded their arms full of it and had trekked the bulk of it back inside. Before they knew it, their teamwork had proved successful, and all of the wood had been neatly stacked on a large metal holder adjacent to one of the fireplaces.

"Can you bring me another log, Probie?" Tony asked as he prodded a chunk of wood further into the fire. "It needs to be just a _tad_ larger."

Tony jerked back as a log nearly smashed into his face, McGee too busy reading the final pages of a book as he handed the wood to him. Tony blinked a few times, then took it from McGee's hand and tossed it into the fire. "Great, thanks for almost removing my nose." He retorted. McGee sighed happily as he shut his book, his eyes closing momentarily as a smile crept onto his face. Suddenly they whipped open and he stared right at Tony, whose eyebrow crept up in amusement. It took him a few moments to realize what he had almost done, but once he had processed it all he immediately apologized.

"Sorry Tony. Sometimes I get so enthralled in the last few pages of a book that I just zone out." He replied, setting the book down on a nearby table before standing next to Tony.

"Nah, it's alright. You didn't actually harm me." Tony said, poking the fire one more time before setting the iron prod back on its rack.

"Why don't I make you some hot chocolate as an apology?" McGee suggested.

"Sounds delicious. Sure, I'm up for some."

McGee nodded and started walking towards the kitchen. "Should I bring in some chestnuts and cinnamon for you to roast too?"

Tony licked his lips. "Of course. You can't have a winter fireplace without roasting some chestnuts."

McGee chuckled and disappeared from the room, leaving Tony standing alone in front of the fireplace. He began to glance around the room, admiring the antique pool table and other recreational items that were on the other end.

_Wow, I wish I had an entire room devoted to personal entertainment back in my apartment._ Tony thought, taking a few steps closer to the table. Once he was near enough, he traced his finger along the wooden decoration that had been carved into a corner, his finger removing a small amount of dust that had collected there.

"The water is set to boil, and the kettle will whistle once it's ready." McGee said as he walked back into the room.

Tony looked up. "Why didn't you just stick it in the microwave?"

McGee placed a bag of chestnuts and little bottles of cinnamon and sugar near the fireplace. "You have no patience." He replied, placing a pan and a paring knife near the ingredients.

Tony shook his head. "I just like to have my hot chocolate right away."

McGee headed over to where Tony was. "It should only take a few minutes to heat up, that stove's pretty intense."

Tony glanced up at McGee when he wasn't looking, noticing that he was wearing a pale blue shirt that hugged close to his body and flattered his frame. _For a guy, he really looks good in pastels._ Tony thought. He swallowed and turned away, distracting himself with a nearby pool stick.

"So, ah, in the meantime why don't we start cleaning up this portion of the room? I already moved the supplies in." He said, pointing over towards a cardboard box. McGee nodded, walking over to it and removing some things. He handed a cloth off to Tony, and they began to wipe down some of the furniture.

Off in the corner near the doorway, Tony found a small table that had some bulkier items atop it. There was a large protective cloth covering it, though, and that peaked his interest all the more.

_Why would this one thing be covered? _Tony wondered, grabbing the ends of the fabric and slowly pulling it off. His eyes grew wide once he realized what was underneath, and right away he understood why it had been covered.

_Uncle Clive had a record player!_ He thought to himself, smiling as his eyes scanned over its body. Not even a foot away was a large box of records, and Tony began to finger through each one.

"Elvis, The Beatles, Frank Sinatra…" He muttered to himself in excitement. _I wonder if he's got-_

"Marvin Gaye!" Tony exclaimed, turning with a smile to look at McGee. He held up the record and pointed at it, carefully removing it from its sleeve.

"Oh, you found an old record player." McGee commented in an amused tone. He set down his cloth and headed towards Tony, who had lifted the needle of the player and was gently putting the vinyl record in place.

"Do you really think that player will work?" McGee asked, peering into the box where Tony had found the album.

Tony glanced over his shoulder as he lined the needle up to the right spot and put it in place. "We'll see." He replied, crossing his fingers in hope that it would.

"What song are you putting on?" McGee asked, genuinely interested in whether the machine would work properly.

Tony bit his lip before replying, "'Ain't No Mountain High Enough', with additional vocals by Tammi Terrell'." He quickly spat out, McGee just barely catching what he said. Turning to face McGee, Tony cleared his throat. McGee smirked and nodded his head as the music began to play. "I know this song. My mom used to make my dad dance with her to it all the time."

A slight grin appeared on Tony's face. _This couldn't be more perfect._ "Why don't we bring back some memories, then?" Tony said, beginning to snap his fingers and sway with the beat. "Listen baby," He sang in harmony with the lead male part. "Ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough, baby." He continued, motioning for McGee to join him. "Come on, McGee. The female part was meant for you to sing!" He teased. McGee remained silent as the female vocalist began to sing, holding up his hands in protest. "I'd rather just wait for the water to boil." He replied, using it as an excuse.

"Don't worry, baby." Tony continued singing, swaying a little bit closer to McGee. He gazed at McGee and waited for him to join in, the female voice cutting into the song once more. His mouth remained shut, and so Tony inched himself even closer to him. He chuckled and shook his head twice, saying, "Come on, Probie. Have a little fun." Gesturing around the empty room, he added, "It's not like anybody's watching."

McGee sighed and softly shrugged. "You don't have to worry," He started to sing, his voice just loud enough to hear over the female vocalist. The duet chorus came up a few words later, and soon the room was filled with the sound of both their voices singing out the refrain.

"…ain't no river wide enough to keep me from getting to you, baby." They sang together, McGee now moving along with the music. Tony paused and stood in a dramatic fashion, placing his open hand against his chest. "Remember the day I set you free? I said that you could always count on me, girl." Tony sang out, fighting back a chuckle as McGee made a cute face at the word 'girl'. He folded his hands in a promising fashion, and continued, "From that day on I made a vow, I'll be there when you want me some way, some how." Their dancing evolved from swaying into full body movements as they entered the chorus once more, both Tony and McGee starting to move their entire bodies appropriately with the beat. Tony could feel his heart beating rapidly, but knew that it couldn't be from the dancing. _I don't remember ever feeling this way before._ He thought somewhat nervously, thinking over the words he had just sung in his head.

"Winter's cold can't stop me, baby." McGee sang, getting a little louder as he grew more comfortable. Tony swallowed hard, this throat growing dry from getting so anxious. _Probie's getting more attractive by the minute._ He thought, realizing that he missed one or two of his lines. He then opened his mouth to sing back, "If you're ever in trouble, I'll be there on the double. Just send for me-"

"Oh baby!" McGee and Tony sang at the same time, McGee continuing on after that with the next segment of the song.

"My love is alive, way down in my heart, although we might be miles apart," McGee belted out, Tony's eyes growing wide in delighted surprise as he realized that they were really getting into the song. "If you ever need a helping hand," Tony sang, taking a step forward and slipping his hands into McGee's to pull their arms in sync to the melody. "I'll be there on the double just as fast as I can." Tony continued, noticing a slight blush in McGee's cheeks as they joined back into a duet for the chorus. As they started to repeat the chorus again, McGee took a step back and Tony released one of his hands, allowing McGee to spin around and into him. Something inside both of them spontaneously clicked as their bodies fully touched for the first time, and for a few seconds they both forgot the lyrics.

McGee blinked rapidly, then pulled himself away from Tony and they continued with the ending chorus. As the song began to fade out, their voices grew softer and their bodies got closer, and by the time it had fully ended they were almost chest to chest. Once they could no longer hear the music, they started to gently laugh.

"Excluding a few plays when I was in elementary school, I've never sang in front of anyone before." McGee said, looking pleased and somewhat proud of his accomplishment.

"It was nicely done." Tony replied, glancing over at the record player as a slower song came on. Looking at McGee again, Tony took a slight step backwards and held out his hand in a gentlemanly fashion. "May I have this dance as well?" He asked, a pleasurable tingle entering his palm and racing down his arm as McGee slipped his hand into Tony's. McGee nodded, and Tony then wrapped his other arm around his side and placed his hand on the center of his back. For a moment he felt McGee tense up, but he relaxed quickly and placed his hand on Tony's back as well.

"Aren't you going to start singing?" McGee questioned, staring straight into Tony's eyes. Glancing away for a moment, Tony brought his shoulders up into a slight shrug and shut his eyes halfway, peering back at McGee. "To be honest, I don't know the words to any other song on this album by heart." He answered, McGee nodding his head in agreement. "Me either." Moving his hand a little higher on Tony's back, McGee added, "It's still a nice song to just dance to." Tony felt little beads of sweat start to form on his neck, and he silently prayed that it wouldn't transfer to his face.

As the song continued to play and they moved slowly in silence, Tony found himself unable to look away from McGee. Almost in a complete gape, his attention remained focused on the soft green eyes that also never moved off of his own. The locked gaze was broken a split second later, a soft chuckle coming from McGee.

"Well Tony, you certainly have redefined my version of the word 'fun' in these past few days."

Tony smiled at the comment, satisfied that McGee hadn't said anything about their staring. "Have I?" He replied. "Consider it a bonus to being able to spend every waking moment with me."

McGee shook his head in mock rejection, but then nodded and smiled sweetly. "Of course. If I didn't enjoy being around you, I would have declined your offer to come out here."

Tony's eyebrow rose inquisitively. "Really now? That's rather interesting, Probalicious." He answered, pressing the hand that was on McGee's back a little more to make their chests touch. The warm heat that was emitted from his body caused Tony's pulse to double, and as he turned his head he realized their noses were just about touching as they looked at one another from a slight angle.

Taking a moment to swallow, McGee glanced down before speaking. "You know, we've only been here four days and already the house is halfway clean."

Tony nodded. "And I have appreciated every day of your helpful company."

McGee grinned. "Tony, you and I both know that if the only thing you planned on doing out here was cleaning, you would have asked for just a week off. So, of course, that leaves me wondering why you would insist on taking _three…_" Tony gulped and looked away for a second, unsure of how he should respond.

"Why did you want to be here with me for three weeks?" McGee asked. Tony felt his eyes gazing right into his cheek, and he slowly turned his attention back. "Do you really want to know?" He replied, slightly nervous.

McGee raised his eyebrow. "You have sparked my interest, Mister DiNozzo."

A pleasurable chill glided up Tony's back, never before hearing McGee say his name with any degree of passion. "I was hoping we could get to know each other better." He responded rather quietly. "I realized that outside of typical office conversations, we really don't know each other very well. Of course, once I got that inheritance letter in the mail I knew that it could be the perfect chance for us to build some sort of relationship."

McGee remained wordless for a few minutes, and with each passing second Tony grew fearful that he had said too much. "Well, you got your wish." He finally replied. "I'm here right now, talking with you, even _dancing_ with you, in your new home."

Tony licked his lip, spying McGee's mouth only inches away. Gradually, he began to lean in closer, his head involuntarily moving to seal the distance. Suddenly the room filled with a piercing whistle, and McGee instantly pulled himself back before Tony's lips could get to him. "I better go get that." He said quickly, turning around and jogging into the kitchen to turn off the stove.

Standing alone once more, Tony let out a steady sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. He took a few wandering steps towards a nearby widow and glanced out it, not really looking at what was there.

_Oh, shit. Am I going about this the wrong way? Am I moving too fast? _He pondered, moving his hand down to cover his mouth. _God, I hope I didn't scare him away._ His eyes darted across the glass, but were still not moving as rapidly as his thoughts. _Maybe I should start a new conversation with a light topic to make him comfortable again._ He breathed heavily and headed back over to the fireplace, picking up the iron pan and the bag of chestnuts. Taking a few steps back, he sat himself down on the edge of the couch and removed the knife from the pan, beginning to place small cuts in each nut.

"Did you tell Gibbs about the house?" Tony heard McGee ask as he walked back into the room, a steaming mug in each hand.

Tony paused for a moment, realizing that McGee couldn't have been too uncomfortable if he had started talking right away. "Yeah, but then he asked me why I was suctioning you away when it's almost Christmas to help me clean. I told him it was necessary, and then I got a nice farewell Gibbs-head slap." Tony smacked a chestnut in the same fashion that his boss did to his head, and with a soft clink it landed in the pan. McGee laughed quietly and set the mug he made for Tony on the nearby table.

In the slightly tense silence that followed, McGee sipped on his cocoa and stood on the other side of the little table, only a few feet away from a window. Tony tossed another few nuts into the pan before saying, "I didn't even realize that it was only a few weeks until Christmas." He placed the last few nuts into the pan, then began to fill the little incisions he had carved with the cinnamon. "Did you ever….have any holiday traditions?" Tony asked as he scooted off the couch to bring the pan over the open fire.

"With my cousins, yeah. Believe it or not, we would always play truth or dare."

Tony chuckled once, picturing a younger version of McGee attempting to beat a proposed dare. Shaking the pan slightly to move around the roasting chestnuts, Tony replied, "Alright, how about we play. You can go first, Probie, since it's your tradition."

Tony heard a clink, glancing over his shoulder to see that McGee had set his mug down. "Okay, I think I can do that. What are the rules that we'll go by?"

Tony thought for a minute before replying. "I think we're old enough to play with only two 'chicken out' allowances." McGee nodded, then asked, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth. I'm too busy cooking to do a dare." He replied. McGee was quiet for a minute, then asked, "Have you ever been in love, Tony?"

Tony grabbed the cinnamon again and sprinkled some more across the chestnuts, watching as a few of them began to grow in size. "I think I might have been once or twice, but as we went our separate ways I began to realize that it was just an intense infatuation. It still took me quite a while to recover, though." _Come on, DiNozzo, be honest here._ Tony sighed before adding, "Well, the relationship that had gotten the most serious ended because I was afraid of commitment." He grabbed the nearby knife and gently poked at one of the nuts. "How about you, Probie?"

McGee immediately looked down at his thumbs and began to fiddle with them. "Well, that's kind of complicated. I mean, what Abby and I had was great, but I wouldn't call it that kind of love or anything. Like I said before, there is somebody I'm interested in though."

Tony paused. "I meant did you want truth or dare." He replied, setting the knife back down.

"Oh…truth then, I guess." He replied. Tony shifted where he sat, moving the pan from one hand to the other. "Who is this mystery person that you want to be with?"

Some wood in the fireplace made a popping sound. "Can I use a chicken on this one?" McGee asked. Tony pouted somewhat before responding. "Sure. Now you only have one left." He leaned over a little and picked up a small container of sugar, shaking it lightly over the half roasted nuts.

"Truth or dare, Tony?"

"Let's just go with another truth. My chestnuts aren't quite done, unless you can come up with a dare that involves me not moving."

McGee smirked softly. "Have you ever wanted to date somebody that you knew you probably couldn't have?"

_God, McGee. Again with the mind reading._ Tony thought, removing the pan from over the flame and setting it down on top of a large board to cool. "Of course." He answered. "If I can't have something, I tend to automatically want it even more." He glanced over at McGee. "Especially when it comes to people." _Hell, I'll ignore all of Gibb's rules and give in to temptation if it means that I could just kiss you._ Tony found himself thinking, lightly shaking his head to try and focus on something else.

McGee had stopped playing with his thumbs, and now appeared to be more at ease on the couch. "I'll take another truth, Tony."

With a devilish smirk on his face, Tony looked over at McGee, already knowing precisely what he wanted to ask. "Excluding Abby, have you ever had a romantic interest in anybody that you currently work with?"

McGee chuckled nervously and glanced at the window before looking back at Tony. "You know, I think I'm going to use that other chicken here."

Tony shrugged and picked up one of the chestnuts. "Then you can't refuse to answer anything else." He replied in satisfaction as he popped the nut into his mouth.

McGee bit down on his lip and stood up, wandering over to the window. He leaned against the wall close to it and asked, "Do you want a dare this time, Tony?"

Tony began to crunch down on another nut and shook his head. "The next time I will. Right now I'm just…savoring the moment." He replied, holding up a large handful of chestnuts.

McGee gazed at him. "I'll ask you the same question, then. Have you ever had that sort of interest in somebody at the office?"

Tony smiled and revealed his cinnamon covered teeth. "Oh yes. I find Ducky to be simply irresistible." He answered sarcastically, pushing himself to his feet.

"No, seriously Tony, have you? Specifically with Ziva?" McGee asked, attempting to pry past Tony's joking exterior.

"Ziva? Get real. She sleeps with a gun and snores louder then one." Tony retorted, tossing another few nuts into his mouth. He stopped about a foot from McGee and slowly nodded his head, swallowing what he had been chewing. "You can't chicken out anymore, Probie. So what will it be: truth or dare?" He asked. "Although I highly doubt you will ever actually pick _dare_…" Tony added, silently begging for McGee to choose it.

Crossing his arms, McGee eyed up Tony before replying. "Alright then, I'll try a dare this time."

_Aha! I knew you couldn't resist a subtle challenge!_ Tony thought with a grin. He placed another nut into his mouth and started to chew it. "Don't worry, I won't make you go outside or eat anything gross." He said, glancing upwards and swallowing his chestnut.

From the very moment the childish game of Truth or Dare had begun, Tony had secretly wanted McGee to pick a dare. Almost right after McGee had mentioned it, Tony had known exactly what he had wanted him to do. In a sense, the dare he was about to propose served as a double bonus; not only was it a great type of suggestion to him, but it was the one thing Tony had found himself thinking about and desiring all day long.

"I dare you to kiss me." Tony said, watching McGee's eyes grow in size. He turned around and shook his head, not allowing Tony to see his face anymore. Tony took a persistent step forward, clutching the chestnuts in his hand tighter. "Come on, Probie. I won't tell anyone." He added, almost feeling as though he were in high school again. _Damn it, what have I done?_ He thought to himself in the still silence. Releasing a soft sigh, he muttered, "It's just a harmless little-"

Tony's sentence was cut off by a light peck on the lips. McGee had managed to quickly turn around and quiet Tony before he could realize what was going on, and now they both stood completely still.

Upon the instant their lips had met, Tony had felt something within himself suddenly ignite, and for the first time in his life, time stood still.

McGee swallowed hard, almost looking shocked at what he had just done. The slight pink tinge of his cheeks was more proof of what he felt, and as their gazes remained glued onto one another they almost forgot to breathe.

The silence was broken by the rapid clinking of the roasted chestnuts that had been in Tony's grip falling down onto the floor. He had opened his hand and purposely let them go, for now they no longer were important to him. Instead, his hand flew up to McGee's face and gently placed itself on his cheek, the freshly shaven skin underneath his palm almost feeling as delicate as silk. Tony put his other hand on the back of McGee's neck and pulled him down into a deep and passionate kiss, and they both began to really sense what the other was like. McGee's lips were tender and welcoming to Tony, and he simply couldn't get enough of him. Even though they desperately needed to take a breath, they continued kissing right until McGee pulled away, nearly gasping for air.

Tony glanced down at the floor, then back up at McGee with a delighted smile. McGee also looked away, laughing softly. "You better drink your hot chocolate before it gets cold, Tony." He said.

As much as Tony wanted to kiss McGee again, he knew not to push him beyond his comfort zone. He took a deep breath and stepped back, tugging on his shirt to straighten it out. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." He replied as McGee headed back towards the couch. Tony followed him a moment afterwards, completely forgetting about the chestnuts as they were crushed to pieces underneath his shoes.

...

_The next chapter mostly involves the beginning of McGee's and Tony's romance (for example: Tony will actually get up early and cook for McGee?)_

_Also, Tony *may* lace every doorway with mistletoe…and, of course, they *might* play some more games…_

**Review please!**


	5. Fifth Day

_Chapter Five_

...

McGee took a few slow steps forward, yawning and blinking in the brightness of the morning light. After stuffing his feet into a pair of socks, he shuffled out his bedroom door and headed into the bathroom further down the hall. He rubbed his eyes and grabbed a nearby washcloth, holding it underneath the faucet to get it soaked with warm water.

_Did last night really happen?_ McGee asked himself. _Did Tony and I really kiss? It all practically felt like a dream…_ He smirked and licked his lips, and turned off the flow of water. Gently squeezing the now damp washcloth, he brought it up to his face and smothered the warmth over his skin. _No, we kissed all right. We really did…_ McGee sighed into the cloth and tilted his head back, giving himself the chance to just absorb the feeling. _Why would Tony have wanted to kiss __**me**__ of all people, though? Unless…no. That isn't possible. Someone like Tony would never like me in that fashion. _He thought. _Maybe he figured out that I'm interested in him and that was his way of teasing me. Tony always has been good at playing games. But then why was there so much passion in his kiss?_

The question still rang in McGee's mind as he sauntered down the stairs. He paused halfway, hearing some soft clinking sounds coming from the kitchen. _What's that noise?_ He took a few more steps down and then stopped again, hearing a loud clash.

"No, that wasn't supposed to go—aw, shit." McGee heard Tony's voice from the adjacent room. His eyes grew wide, and he quickly ran down the last few steps. _What is Tony doing up already? He hates mornings._ McGee thought, stepping into the kitchen. He found Tony now wearing the bright red apron and standing in front of the stove, using a spoon to scrape mounds of salt off of what appeared to be scrambled eggs. "Damn salt shaker top just _had_ to break off over my eggs…" He mumbled to himself, a determined look plastered on his face. "It's too early to be cooking." He sighed, then looked up, spying McGee in the doorway. His expression softened, and he chuckled and motioned to himself.

"Well good morning. I-ah, really wanted to wear this apron, Probie." He said. "I knew that meant I'd have to get up early and cook us breakfast, but I figured it would be worth it." McGee blinked in surprise and took a few steps closer. Glancing over the stove, he also found some dark pieces of toast and an empty container of coffee grounds nearby. Shaking his head, he replied, "It looks like you could use another hand." Tony promptly but gently smacked McGee's hand away from the stove with a plastic spatula, and he glanced up at him. "Nonsense. I'm making and serving you breakfast today." He pointed over his shoulder and added, "I made coffee too, so feel free to have as much as you want."

McGee nodded and smiled softly at Tony. "Wow, for a guy who hates mornings you sure are determined to do everything yourself." He commented, walking over to the coffee pot and pouring some into a green mug.

"Yeah, well I feel like treating you to a meal today." Tony replied, putting two pieces of toast onto some plates. _Besides, getting up early just means that I get to admire your cute bed head all that much sooner. _He then started putting the scrambled eggs on the dish, and as he put a dash of pepper over them McGee walked over to the table and sat himself down. Tony soon joined him with both plates and set one in front of McGee along with some silverware. After Tony took off his apron and set it on a nearby chair, he sat himself next to McGee and glanced at him. He was looking down at the food with a little smile, and right before he picked up his fork he turned his attention to Tony. "Salty scrambled eggs and burnt toast with the blackest coffee I've ever seen. You sure do make quite the breakfast, Tony." McGee commented, lifting some eggs to his mouth.

"French toast, actually." Tony responded, pulling over a bottle of maple syrup. McGee puckered his lips and quickly used his other hand to bring his coffee cup to his mouth. He took a long drink and then set the mug back down. "They're salty all right."

Tony sighed and began drenching his French toast in maple syrup. "The salty eggs, by the way, weren't my fault." Tony said innocently. "The lid on that salt shaker just fell off right into the skillet." He added before stuffing a huge piece of bread into his mouth, some syrup dripping out of the corners of his lips. Using his other hand, he grabbed a nearby napkin and cleaned off the mess.

"I know, I watched the whole thing." McGee replied. He glanced over at Tony, who had already been looking at him. A wide grin spread across Tony's face. "You surprise me, McGee. Sleeping until eight A.M. must have been difficult for you." He said. McGee simply stared at him and swallowed the piece of toast that had been in his mouth. _God, you don't even realize just how gorgeous of a smile you've got. That alone would make me kiss you again, whether or not you're being serious. _McGee thought.

Tony propped his elbow onto the table and rested his head in his hand, watching as McGee attempted to eat some more of the eggs, all the while a large smile lighting up his face. Tony raised an eyebrow in curiosity and asked, "What could you possibly be thinking about at this hour?"

McGee looked over, the same grin still on his face. "Take a guess." _If you really want to know, you'll play along until you do._ He added in his mind.

Tony released a sigh and repositioned himself. "Alright, is it in this room?" McGee simply nodded, and Tony glanced over at the laptop and books that sat on the other end of the table. "Does it have to do with your computer or your books?" Tony asked, getting another 'no' from McGee. Tony glanced down at his still full plate. "Does it involve breakfast?"

McGee shook his head and said, "You're getting closer." Tony's eyes continued wandering around the room, and then he suddenly paused. Bringing his attention back to McGee, he gave him a smirk. "You're smiling because I'm such a terrible cook, aren't you? Don't feel like you have to eat it or anything. I doubt that I'll even touch the rest of what's on my plate, actually." He said, pushing it away.

"No, that's not why either." McGee answered, stabbing his piece of toast. Tony shook his head in amusement and threw his hands up into the air, wearing another grin. "Okay, I give up. It's too early for me to think right."

McGee set his fork down on his half empty plate. He turned slightly and pointed at Tony's face. "That smile, right there. That's what I was thinking about."

Tony blinked in surprise, and his grin grew a little wider. Leaning forward, he stared into McGee's large green eyes and crossed his arms on top of the table. "My smile?" He asked. McGee nodded nervously. _Oh __**please**__ don't make fun of me for that, Tony. You asked what I was thinking about, and I simply told the truth. _He thought, tempted to bite down on his lip. Tony simply gazed up for several seconds with a contemplative smirk. He then looked back down at McGee and placed his hands on the table, using them to steady himself as he leaned over and brought them into another sweet kiss. Tony tasted of maple syrup, and McGee's tense lips softened and pressed deeper into his.

Tony chuckled and pulled back. "Sorry, I had to." He pointed upwards. "There's mistletoe hanging above the table. You can't just ignore a tradition." He said. McGee glanced up and saw a small bundle of the plant, neatly tied with a silky white ribbon.

"Oh, and I took the liberty of hanging one in _every_ doorway, and there's some extra ones by the fireplace." He added with a wink.

McGee breathed a soft sigh of relief that Tony hadn't mocked him. Wanting to be certain, he stared into Tony's eyes for a few moments, but all he could see was genuine warmth.

"Do you want me to take your plate away, Probie?" Tony asked, his own dish already in his hand. McGee nodded and watched as Tony picked his up, bringing it over to the sink to be cleaned off.

_Even for Tony, this would be a long time for him to be playing with me. He would have done something already…_ McGee thought, glancing over at his reflection in the window. _So he must be serious. Why else would he have that shimmer in his eyes?_

"It might get up to double digits today." Tony commented, closing the dishwasher. "Meaning that I could go and put some chains on the tires of our car. If I had just thought everything through, then I would have done it in the first place."

McGee grabbed his mug and stood up, walking over to where Tony was. "I can go and do that for you, if you'd like."

Tony glanced up at him. "Really? Well if you're sure I set the chains and the car jack up by the front door." McGee set his mug down and nodded. "Yeah, I'll go do that real quick." He said, still unable to take his eyes off of Tony. Taking a few steps, he stood behind him and wrapped his arms around his chest. McGee rested his chin on Tony's shoulder and brought one of his hands up to his face, and he gently began to stroke one of his cheeks. _You smell of maple, coffee, and Tony._ McGee thought, happily breathing in the scents. "Thanks for breakfast." He whispered into Tony's ear, sealing the appreciation with a gentle peck to the cheek. Tony chuckled. "I'm sorry it couldn't have been better." He replied, putting his hand on top of McGee's.

"You tried your best, and everything wasn't as bad as you're thinking." McGee added, giving Tony a gentle squeeze before letting go. "I'll go put those chains on, then." He called over his shoulder as he grabbed the nearby set of keys and disappeared into the next room.

Tony let out a long sigh and gently placed his fingers right where McGee had kissed him, feeling a warmth emulating from the very spot.

_Inviting McGee out here was the single best idea you've ever had, DiNozzo._

...

Even though three hours had passed since breakfast had been over, Tony still found himself paying more attention to McGee then anything else he was doing. The two had moved all of the cleaning supplies into the grand dining room and had spent the past half hour polishing old silver and dusting off the furniture and décor that had been left in there, but even the hand crafted silver wasn't enough to pull Tony's eyes away.

_The first step to telling somebody that you care about them is by admitting to yourself that you are, in fact, fond of them._ Tony thought, absent-mindedly dusting while watching McGee from across the room. _That can't be too hard._ _I, Tony DiNozzo, have feelings for McGee. Oh come on, I can do better then that. _He sighed quietly. _I, Tony DiNozzo, really like McGee. _Chuckling to himself, Tony took a small step forward and began to dust something else. _Now I sound like a kid again. I've just got to be a man and say it. Perhaps if I verbally confess to myself, that'll work better…_ He thought, softly clearing his throat and muttering, "I, Tony DiNozzo, want to date McGee." His head snapped up and he looked at McGee again, wanting to be sure that he hadn't somehow heard him just yet.

_If Gibbs were here, he'd one-up from a head slap and head __**slice**__ me for sure._ He thought, hearing McGee begin to hum an unfamiliar but happy sounding tune. Tony glanced up at him once more and grinned softly, then forced himself to pay attention to what he was doing. _I kissed McGee, and ever since he's been the number one thing on my mind. What do they call that feeling? You know, I think it just might be called-_

"Jesus!" McGee suddenly shrieked a moment after a loud thud. Tony blinked his way out of his thoughtful trance and looked up at him. A large vase had fallen onto his hand and pinned it underneath, and there was a look of sheer distress on his face. Tony bolted over to the other side of the room, tossing his dust rag on the floor in the process. McGee whimpered softly as Tony began to lift the rather heavy object off of him, placing it upright a little further then it had originally been.

"Ahh!" McGee exclaimed once his hand was free. Tony took a step forward and quickly glanced over it, breathing a sigh of relief that nothing appeared broken.

"Are you alright, Probie?" Tony asked with a caring tone. McGee lightly shook his damaged hand and placed it as his side, a painful smirk filling up his face. "Yeah, I'll be fine soon enough." He replied. "Wow, was that vase heavy. I thought it just about crushed my bones to pieces." McGee winced as his hand brushed against the fabric of his shirt.

Tony bit down on his lip, watching McGee pretend that he wasn't hurt. _Aw, McGee, now I feel bad. I don't like watching you suffer. _He took another slight step forward and gazed right into his eyes. Taking McGee's good hand in his, he said, "I can kiss the pain away." Tony leaned forward and pressed a tender kiss to his lips.

Tony pulled back and found a soft grin on McGee's face. "My hand hurts, Tony. Not my lips." He replied gently.

Tony nodded and reached down, gingerly lifting up his bruised hand. "I can kiss that, too." He said softly, placing a delicate kiss on his knuckles.

McGee gazed at Tony and tilted his head slightly. "What are we, Tony?" He asked, noticing a type of radiance appear on his face upon asking the question.

"We're standing. We're cleaning up the grand dining room. We're both in jeans. Want me to go on?" Tony replied with a witty smile. McGee shook his head and laughed quietly. "Last night wasn't just anything. You wouldn't just dare me to do something as crazy as kiss you without having a specific reason." He said, placing his hand on Tony's chest and inching himself closer. "And I wouldn't have agreed to it if I didn't want to, which I did. So tell me, Tony," McGee breathed, "What are we as of yesterday?"

Tony felt his mouth instantly dry up, and he almost thought he felt his heart turn inside out. He sensed McGee's eyes staring into him as though he was transparent, and Tony knew that his joking façade was wearing thin.

"You want me to tell you what we are as of yesterday? Ahh, all right." He said, scooting his feet a little closer towards McGee. Releasing a soft breath and glancing down, he replied, "We're distracted. We're acting like a couple stuck on the second date. We're probably spending more time gazing at each other then actually getting anything done. Not that I really mind looking at you, Probie."

McGee's cheeks flushed a soft pink hue, and Tony felt his own start to turn as well. "You really think we act like a couple on the second date?" McGee asked. "Well that's interesting, because we haven't even experienced the first."

Tony's eyebrow rose in question. "Would you like to?"

A smirk started to grow on McGee's face. "Yeah, I think that would be nice."

Tony nodded happily. "There's only one problem, though." He said, motioning towards a window. "Even with the chains on the tires, the snow is _way_ too thick out there to try and drive into town to go to a restaurant. We'd have to stay in and eat here for our first date."

"That's alright with me." McGee replied calmly, although he was ecstatically nervous inside. "I thought ahead and bought enough food to feed us for a month."

Tony grinned widely again, suppressing his urge to pounce on McGee and smother him in affection. "So what do you say, Probie, traditional dinner and a movie in?"

McGee chuckled and lightly patted Tony's chest. "Only I'll do the cooking. You can just pick out a suitable movie."

Tony placed his hands on McGee's cheeks, gently holding him still. "I'll be there." He replied with a slight smile. "Just so you know ahead of time, I might plan something other than a movie for us to do after dinner."

McGee shook his head and snickered. "First dates for me don't involve the bedroom."

"The horror, the horror!" Tony said playfully, managing to slip in another movie quote. "That's okay, I had something else in mind, actually." He added, gently patting McGee's cheek once before removing his hands and heading towards the door of the room.

McGee watched as Tony walked out the door and left him standing alone. He instantly started to laugh joyously and almost completely forgot that his hand hurt.

_Was that it? A few words, a couple of questions, and Tony and I are going to have our first date tomorrow?_ McGee thought excitedly. _I had always hoped that something like this would happen, but I never thought that day would come. All this time I thought you were just a womanizer, Tony. I didn't know that you shared my…my interest in guys._ He thought, hearing Tony mumble rapidly to himself outside the room. _Well, tomorrow will be the perfect chance for me to ask you all those questions that I never had been able to. I just hope that you'll be willing to answer them._

McGee straightened his shirt in the reflection of a silver tray and nodded to himself, and then he turned and left the room with a massive smile on his face.

...

_The next chapter centers around their first date, which includes a nice dinner made by McGee and _

_an extra-special something that Tony does for the second half of their date._

**Please review!**


	6. First Date, Part One

_Chapter Six_

...

_The second step to telling somebody that you care about them is by planning the proper time and place to do so._ Tony thought to himself as he gave a final scrub to the floor and stood up, tossing the sponge he had been using into a nearby bucket. _After that last scouring, I think that this place is finally ready for just that. _Tony yawned and grabbed the nearby cup of water he had set out for himself, taking a long, slow sip. _The only question now is will I be ready for tonight?_ He wondered, a sudden onset of exhaustion creeping up on him and causing his eyelids to flutter. The glass of water in his hand grew heavier and heavier with each passing moment, and he let out a steady breath.

_Even if I don't feel quite prepared, I'm pretty sure that everything here is perfect now. Besides, isn't that what a first date is all about? Butterflies in the stomach, tongue tied in a knot, wobbly knees, that whole thing?_ He thought, glancing around the room he had just finished cleaning. The furniture and windows were spotless and shimmered in the artificial light, and even the doors appeared to have a new varnish. A strong waft of bleach drifted past his nose, but he had adjusted to the smell so much that it didn't even faze him.

As Tony heard the nearby clock strike that the hour was now approaching five in the morning, he twitched from the sudden noise and almost dropped his glass.

_I had no idea that it was going to take me over four and a half hours to fix this space up. _He contemplated, dragging his feet towards the opposite end of the room. Yawning again, he reached his arm out and placed his cup down on the very edge of a nearby shelf, nudging it further in a second later so that it wouldn't crash down to the stone floor.

_Yeah, this is definitely later then I generally spend doing housework, but I have a feeling that it will all pay off. The expression that will be on McGee's face towards the end of our date tonight will be completely worth the sleep deprivation that I'll be suffering._

Through his halfway shut eyes, Tony managed to push himself out the door and pull his weary legs up a small set of stairs, mumbling things to himself that even he didn't understand.

_I hope McGee brews extra bold coffee. He usually doesn't make it quite strong enough..._ Tony thought, adding it to his memory just before burying himself underneath several blankets.

...

McGee stood a few feet away from Tony late that morning, placing his empty mug in the sink just as he heard the coffee pot ding back to life. He sniffed the air, hoping to get a whiff of the fresh grounds. Instead, as he inhaled, the bold smell of bleach pierced his nose and forced him to cough.

"Where is that smell coming from?" He asked, waving the air in front of his face away from his body.

Tony sighed slowly, setting his own mug down on the countertop near the pot. Groaning, he reached behind his neck and gave himself a light massage. "Sorry, that's me. I was up all night working on…something." He replied, watching as the coffee began to strain through the filter.

McGee glanced over his shoulder and watched as Tony lifted its handle and began to pour the almost jet black liquid into his empty cup for the fourth time in six minutes, his eyelid twitching slightly.

"I think if you have any more of that dark brew you'll suffer three heart attacks simultaneously." McGee commented, taking a step closer and leaning himself against the counter top.

"Eh," Tony muttered, shrugging slightly. "I need some energy, Probie." He said, staring down into his mug.

McGee lightly shook his head and crossed his arms. "Drinking your body weight in black coffee isn't exactly the smartest way to wake up."

Tony sighed gently and lifted it to his lips, guzzling down the entire thing within seconds. He nearly slammed the empty cup down and took the pot in his hands again, his eyes glued in its direction.

McGee gasped and instantly snatched the machine away from Tony, leaving him with an empty hand. His attention went up to McGee and he gave him a dead stare, blinking only once.

"Please hand me the coffee." Tony said, swiping his arm in its direction. McGee took a quick step back and removed the lid, only to pour all that was left down into the sink.

"I'm not going to." McGee replied, watching Tony's expression become more alert.

"Why'd you just do that?" He asked, taking a desperate step forward. McGee held out his hand and pushed lightly against Tony's chest, stopping him in his tracks.

"If you need energy, just go take a nap." McGee suggested gently, noticing how close his hand was to the unbuttoned part of Tony's shirt.

Tony heavily dragged his head from side to side in refusal. "Naps are for children." He responded. "Besides, by the time I would finish another pot the first round would start to perk me up."

McGee placed his fingers on Tony's chin and pulled his face closer. Gazing into his eyes, it was all to apparent to him that he had consumed enough caffeine already.

"I worry about you sometimes, Tony." McGee said quietly, beginning to run his thumb over Tony's chin. "You should be more aware of just how much of this you consume. It could really harm you someday."

Tony swallowed loud enough to be heard, and he found himself magnetized to McGee's fair green eyes shining in the glow of the sunlight. He smiled and chuckled softly, wrapping his other hand around McGee's and squeezing it lightly. "I'm a concern to you?" He asked somewhat mockingly, scooting himself a little closer. McGee's face remained serious but softened as Tony grew nearer, and he released a soft breath.

"Of course," McGee replied. "You're well being matters to me more then you think." He added with a slight smirk.

Tony glanced back and forth between his eyes, searching them for numerous reasons. "That's good to know." He said somewhat sleepily, placing the palm of his hand on McGee's cheek. "And for the record, you're important to me too." He added before pressing their lips together, sealing the remaining distance with a soft, warm kiss.

McGee chuckled as he felt Tony begin to lean further forward, his shoulders slumping from fatigue. Pulling back, he lightly grabbed Tony and looked at his face. His eyes were halfway shut and he wore an almost drunken grin, and he mumbled, "Anything for you, McGee." Tony's head suddenly dropped forward and landed with a thud on McGee's chest, and he jerked slightly in response. McGee sighed and placed his hand at the back of Tony's head, slowly rubbing in small circles. "Please just go lie down for awhile, Tony." McGee said. "You'll feel much more comfortable if you rest on a bed instead of me."

Tony mumbled in protest onto McGee's shirt and pressed his face a little harder into him before rotating it to the side. "I will if you promise not to go into the back of the house."

McGee paused. "The back of the house? Why can't I go there?"

With a very soft groan Tony pulled himself back into a standing position. He gave McGee a weak smile and replied, "You'll find out tonight after dinner." He then took a step backwards and fumbled his way up the stairs, McGee watching him until he had disappeared into a room.

_Sleep well, hun._ McGee thought as he gazed up the stairwell. Suddenly he realized what words had just gone through his head, and he laughed at himself. _Whoa there, we haven't even had our first date yet. There's no reason why I should even be __**thinking**__ of him as hun._ He began looking around himself, attempting to distract his thoughts from where they were.

_Uh, let's see…the back of the house! That's an interesting location. _McGee quickly brought up in his mind while wandering back into the kitchen. _Let me think, what rooms are over there? From what I can remember, there's a recreation room, a bedroom, a room full of antiques and rare artworks, the library…_ He paused and glanced over his shoulder, having heard a door shut. _There are some other ones that I can't remember, too. _He thought, his eyes scanning over the cover of a magazine that Tony had left out. _I know it won't involve the bedroom and probably not the art one either, so that leaves the rec room and the library. He must have something planned in one of the ones that I can't remember, because I can't think of anything date related that would involve those places._ McGee fingered his way through the pages of the periodical, stopping at an article about dancing that was marked and highlighted. He began to smile, and lightly shook his head. _Unless, of course, he wanted us to dance again. But then why would he need to be up all night cleaning something with bleach? There's plenty of space for dancing in the rec room, and we already fixed it all up._ He sighed gently and closed the magazine. _Well, knowing Tony I'll be assuming its one thing and he'll end up giving me the opposite, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see what he's got in store. _McGee realized, wearing a grin as his mind began to orchestrate all of the possibilities that the evening had in store. He then returned to the countertop in front of the coffee pot and put it back in its proper place, humming all the while.

...

_That evening_

...

"You sure do make excellent huckleberry pie, McGee." Tony commented as he pushed his empty plate and fork away, releasing a satisfied sigh. McGee got to his feet and pushed in his chair, smiling and stacking a few dirty dishes on top of each other. "Thanks. With huckleberries being one of the icons of this state, it was sort of a give in that I include them in our dinner."

Tony's eyes followed McGee and he chuckled. "Chocolate covered huckleberries, tossed salad with a huckleberry vinaigrette, huckleberry ham, the huckleberry pie, even huckleberry flavored creamer for the coffee." He listed, counting on his fingers. "I think that's a little more then simply 'including' it with dinner."

McGee lightly shook his head. "You think it was too much?" He asked, glancing up to an empty seat. Blinking, he looked from side to side, wondering what had happened to his date.

"Tony?" McGee called out right before he felt two hands wrap around his chest and pull him into a backwards hug. Feeling a hand push at his cheek, he let out a soft but surprised gasp, and then Tony placed a gentle kiss just to the side of McGee's lips.

"No, I didn't say it was too much." Tony replied quietly. "I simply pointed out that it made up our entire dinner." He stroked McGee's cheek. "It was delicious, Probie. Thank you."

McGee swallowed hard and let himself lean back into Tony's embrace. Placing his hands on top of Tony's, he replied, "It was my pleasure." He glanced to the side and gazed curiously through the open doors and down the hall, remembering about the second unknown portion of their date.

"Hey Tony, I've been thinking all day about what this 'surprise' you've been planning is…" He began, a smile creeping across Tony's face. "But I resisted temptation just like you asked me to and I didn't venture down there at all, not even to peek and see what all the rooms are."

Still holding on to one of McGee's hands, Tony took a step back and turned him so that they were face to face. He softly squeezed then relaxed his grip, and motioned towards the hallway.

"If you're ready to find out, come with me." Tony suggested, winking at him before heading out the doors. McGee followed in anticipation, nervously wondering just what awaited him at the end of the corridor.

Tony stopped in front of two large and dark-colored frosted glass doors, each one standing about eleven and a half feet tall. McGee's eyes grew wide as he gazed at both of them, his mind failing to remember seeing them before.

"What is this?" McGee asked, glancing over at Tony, whose eyes were already fixated on him, watching his expression in heated anticipation…

...

_The date is continued in the next chapter. _

**Please review!**


	7. First Date, Part Two

_Chapter Seven_

...

_Continuation of Chapter Six…_

...

"Behind these doors, McGee, is your surprise." Tony said, a tone of excitement laced in each word. "Now I wasn't sure if you came prepared for this or not, but just in case you aren't I've got whatever you'd need already in there."

McGee took a step forward and raised his eyebrow. "Ready for what, exactly?" He asked, hoping he sounded more confident then giddy.

Tony quietly laughed to himself and stood with his back to the doors, lacing his fingers around both of the handles. He took a deep breath and grinned at McGee. "Ready to sip some champagne while soaking in a ten foot long hot tub before dipping into the sixty five degree pool for a relaxing swim, which will probably lead to some dancing at the shallow end afterwards." He said to McGee, turning the handles on the doors and shoving them wide open.

McGee couldn't help but gasp as he stepped foot into the largest and fanciest indoor pool room he had even seen before. As he glanced around the place, he realized that nearly everything was carved or crafted out of cream colored alabaster or white marble, and to hold up the thirty foot vaulted ceilings that hung above them were several large Roman style pillars. There were long pieces of deep purple cloths that draped in a canopy style from one pillar to the next, and off in a far corner stood a gorgeous fountain decorated by stone statues.

In the dead center there was an Olympic sized pool, complete with a diving board and a small waterslide. A little rounded table stood roughly ten feet from it, and on top of it sat another record player with a few vinyl albums laid out next to it. To the dead right sat the hot tub that Tony had also mentioned, and it stood shimmering next to a long and thin island counter that reminded McGee of a trendy bar. Planted throughout the large space was several little fig and olive trees that added to the regal Middle Eastern feel of the room, and McGee began to feel almost overwhelmed by how extravagant everything was.

"Tony…is this…?" McGee began, motioning to the room and pointing at him. _It doesn't even feel like I'm up in the mountains anymore! _He thought, still drinking in the surroundings.

Tony nodded and stepped closer to him, putting his hands on his hips. "Yeah, this is it. _This_ is what I was doing last night." He let out a long breath, then continued, "You have no idea how much dust and grime can build up in a pool that size, even when unoccupied. I must have used **gallons** of bleach just to clean it out before I could fill it up and give it the proper ratio of water to chlorine." Tony nodded down at the floor. "The stone you see below our feet was actually the easiest thing in hear to clean. It only took me half an hour to scrub down the whole thing."

Words escaped McGee's mind for several seconds as he contemplated all the work that Tony had single handedly done overnight, and the realization that he didn't have to brought a large smile to his face. McGee glanced over at Tony and shook his head while chuckling. "Seems like a lot of work for just a first date."

Tony shrugged and fought back the urge to give him a sarcastic remark. "Yeah, it was." He leaned closer to McGee and wrapped his arms around his neck, resting his chin on his shoulder. "But you're a _special_ date, Probalicious. You were worth all that sleep loss."

McGee wasn't quite sure what to say. He found himself laughing and shaking his head in aftershock from the first glance at the room that now enclosed the two of them. Turning his chin so that he could look directly into Tony's eyes, he simply said, "Thank you."

Tony smirked. _For that look, right there in your eyes. For this adrenaline rush that I get whenever I'm around you, pumping through my veins faster then I ever thought to be possible. For the fact that whenever I try to think about something, you're always the first thought that comes to mind. For those unknown feelings that drift to the surface of my soul whenever our lips collide…__**those**__ are the reasons why I did what I did._ He thought before replying, "You're very welcome, McGee." Pointing over to the hot tub he added, "Now why don't we just soak ourselves in the jets and talk over a nice glass of champagne."

McGee nodded and stepped out of Tony's embrace. "In my clothes?"

Tony shook his head. "Of course not. I said that I had everything you would need in here, and indeed I do." He walked just past the hot tub and stopped at the island counter that served as a bar, bending over and coming back up with two pairs of black athletic shorts. "So I know these aren't exactly swimwear, but they'll do fine." He said, walking back over while holding a pair out to McGee.

"Yeah, these will be alright." McGee said, inspecting the shorts he had just taken from Tony. "I'll just go change." He called over his shoulder as he slipped out the doors.

Tony let out a contented sigh and quickly stripped himself of his regular clothes and pulled on the shorts, tightening the strings before tying them together. He then placed his clothes behind the bar and took out two glasses, setting them on top of the counter. Bending down once more, he selected a bottle of vintage champagne and placed it by the glasses, grabbing a nearby cork remover and plunging it through the thin paper seal. He twisted and pulled it until it came up with a pop, and then he tossed it to the side.

_This brand of champagne always smells so damn good._ He thought as he began to pour the fair yellow liquid into each glass. _I'm pretty sure that Tim will like it._ Tony paused and blinked down at the champagne bottle before setting it down. _Wait, did I just think of him by his first name? I never do that…_ He thought, picking up both of the glasses just as McGee strolled back inside.

"There you are, Probalicious." Tony called out as McGee got closer. He gave his bare chest a quick glance over, and he found himself grinning. Usually he would have made a taunting remark about his snow white skin with a slight farmer's tan and somewhat fleshy abdominals, but Tony's mind went absolutely blank and all he could focus on was the fact that the closer McGee got to him, the warmer the room suddenly became.

"Uh, here's your drink." Tony said, his mouth going dry. McGee nodded and took it from him, their fingers brushing one another's.

Without a word, Tony motioned to the hot tub and they both climbed in, adjusting themselves to the sudden heat before sitting down next to one another.

For a few minutes they simply relaxed themselves in the warm jet streams and sipped their champagne, giving each other temporary glances. Unable to take the distance anymore, Tony scooted himself right next to McGee and stretched his arm behind his shoulder, pulling their bodies together.

"Everything here is so nice." McGee began, gazing down at his glass. "This is excellent alcohol, by the way." He added before taking another sip.

Tony watched in amusement as McGee swallowed the champagne, a few droplets of the fair liquid dribbling down onto his chin and then landing on his chest.

"Oh great." McGee muttered, looking down at his little mess.

Chuckling, Tony set his glass on the edge of the tub and reached his hand over to touch McGee's chest, wiping off the alcohol.

"You can't hold your drink in very well, can you?" He asked playfully, letting his fingers linger for a few seconds on McGee's bare skin. Glancing up, he locked eyes with McGee, and for a moment of time everything else around him faded into the background. Almost like magnets, their lips pressed and came together into a short but sweet kiss, and when Tony pulled back their gaze connected once more.

"Why did you kiss me, Tony?" McGee asked quietly. Tony shifted his glance from one of his eyes to the other before noticing that some of his hair had fallen out of its typical style and was framing his face, only adding to his cuteness.

"Because you look adorable in this light." Tony replied.

McGee shook his head. "Not just now. I'm asking why you kissed me a few days ago, when we were talking about Christmas traditions and we played Truth or Dare." Tony shifted slightly, and McGee continued, "It's just that everyone knows you as this…this womanizer. I was sort of shocked, to say the least."

Tony bit down on his lip and thought for a few seconds, releasing a soft sigh before responding. "Well, honestly that's a fairly hard question to answer. One day I just found myself looking at you all of the time, and once and awhile I'd actually forget about my work and just think about you. Then the next thing I knew, you were my every other thought." He said, pausing for a moment. "I didn't know what to think or much less do about it, because you're the first guy I've ever been drawn to like that." Tony reached over and picked up his glass, taking another sip of champagne before continuing. "However, after I got the inheritance notice in the mail, I thought that maybe I could use it as an excuse to lure you out here and get to know you better, perhaps even explore my feelings and see if there was a chance that yours would be the same…" He lightly patted McGee's shoulder and felt him scoot closer, placing his own arm also around his shoulder so that they were holding each other.

"So I guess it all leads up to where we are right now." McGee commented, gently setting his hand on top of Tony's. He glanced down before looking back up at his face, softly grinning and raising his eyebrow. "I suspected from the beginning that there was some sort of ulterior motive to you inviting me out here. The whole thing just seemed so…out of the ordinary for you."

Tony rested his head against McGee's and squeezed his hand. "Yeah, but I'm just glad that everything is going the way it is. I couldn't have imagined it any better."

McGee pondered his current thought before making it known. "Tony, are you really going to sell this house?" He asked before drinking some more of his champagne. "I'm really starting to love it here, and I think it'll be a shame to see it go."

"I know exactly what you mean. Being here is almost like being in a whole other world, and I'm not just talking about the giant mountains that surround us." He replied. "However, I don't have to sell it. If you and I like it this much, maybe it'd be better if I just kept it."

McGee and Tony smiled at each other, both growing warm and sweaty for more then just one reason. "Would you want to go in the pool now, McGee?" Tony asked. McGee nodded and they both stood up, swinging their legs over the top and onto the ground. They started walking in opposite directions, McGee heading towards a ladder and Tony towards the diving board. As McGee nimbly entered the chilling waters, Tony had turned on the record player, letting music from the late 50's softly fill in the background noise.

_Coming straight from the hot tub, this water is quite cold._ McGee thought, his back turned to Tony. He had waded into the water up to his hips and he felt himself shiver once or twice, brushing the sides of his arms to warm himself up.

Only a few feet away, Tony stood at the edge of the diving board, a wide grin spontaneously covering his face when an idea surfaced to his mind. _Oh, this will be good._ He thought, jumping on the board a few times before letting himself fly into the air.

"Cannonball!" He cried out, McGee turning around just in time to get splashed in the face from Tony's landing. His eyes flew shut before the chlorinated water could enter them, and the sudden gust of air that blew over his now fully wet body gave him a slight tremble.

Tony broke through the surface a moment later, shaking his head and letting water fly off of his hair. He laughed at McGee's almost sour expression and he began to swim over to him, then walked the rest of the way once he reached a shallow enough point.

McGee shook his head and splashed Tony once. "Thanks for that. I was comfortable simply wading my way in and getting used to the temperature." He said with a fake pout.

Tony frowned lightly and grabbed his hands, pulling them close together. He took another step towards him until they were almost chest to chest, and then he gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

_Wow, he looks irresistible when he's wet._ They both thought at the same time without knowing it. Tony chuckled to break the silence and then moved his hand to McGee's back. "Feel like doing this again?" He asked, feeling a hand move to his own back in response.

Tony placed his chin on McGee's shoulder and breathed onto his neck, getting comfortable as they began to slowly move. "McGee, I…" He stopped himself, biting on his lip. He sighed softly before saying, "I just feel so natural with you." Tony wrapped his arm a little tighter around his middle. "I mean, when I'm around you I feel almost like I can say or do anything and you wont' think different of me."

McGee paused before chuckling. "Well that depends what you mean by _anything_, Tony. I would consider some actions to be unforgivable."

Tony scrunched his eyes and pouted his lips, giving McGee a playful slap to the side of the head. "You know what I mean." He said, feeling McGee nod into his shoulder. He then smiled as well, and put his hands on Tony's bare shoulder blades. "Tony, do you know why you never hear me talk about relationships?"

Tony shook his head. "No, but I've always wondered. I thought maybe you were just ultra personal and private about all of it."

McGee felt himself suddenly tense up, but then he forced himself to relax. "That's because excluding the little thing I had with Abby and a few dates here and there throughout high school and MIT, I haven't really had any." He stopped for a moment before continuing, "Tony, I'm only telling this to you because I feel comfortable enough to…and besides, if we are going to be together you really should know this." He waited for a few wordless moments, not feeling Tony move at all. Taking in a deep breath, he began to wonder if he was saying too much too fast. "Tony, I know that you're terrified of commitment, but I'll have you know that you aren't the only one going into this with fears. The real reason as to why I haven't been in any deep or long lasting relationships is because I'm terrified of getting my heart ripped in half."

_This is getting serious, DiNozzo. Don't let yourself say anything stupid._ He thought, his palms becoming sweaty. Tony pressed his chest onto McGee's, feeling their chilled, wet skin slide together and create an electrifying heat. McGee fought back a moan. "I'm so afraid that once I begin to let somebody in, they'll just turn around and tear it right out of my chest." McGee said almost in a whisper, the sincere tone of his words stabbing into Tony's heart and cause him to feel fully alive. He gently rubbed McGee's back, reassuring him that it was still alright for him to continue talking.

"To be fully honest, Tony, I'm not sure if you would or not…" McGee paused, then placed his cheek against the bare, warm skin next to Tony's neck. "But I feel like I'm ready to give you a chance."

The thoughts in Tony's head began to run rampant, his emotions going higher and higher with every second that he spent so intimately close to McGee. He moved his hand up his neck and pulled his fingers through some hair, then gently massaged his scalp.

_McGee, I don't know what to tell you…_ Tony began to think. _I mean, I want to say that I won't ever break your heart or do anything to hurt you, but I know that isn't my reality._ _You deserve only the truth, nothing less._ He took in a few deep breaths before replying, "McGee, I promise that I'll give it my best, although I never intend to hurt you." Tony said, rolling his head to the side and putting one of his hands against McGee's face, lightly holding it still while lightly pressing his lips against his skin. His kisses then began a gentle path up his neck and to his earlobe before going across his jaw line, stopping just next to his lips.

_Oh God, Tony, keep doing that and I'll just die right here, right now._ McGee thought, a soft moan escaping his mouth. Tony pulled back slightly and simply breathed, staring right into McGee's glazed over eyes.

"Hey, Tim, listen to me." Tony began, feeling his heart beat so strongly that he thought it might burst open. "The fact that you're willing to say all of this just now tells me that you take relationships straight to your core. I really admire that about you." He swallowed and glanced down before continuing, "I really just admire you in general, actually." Tony said, laughing softly out of nervousness. He then relocked eyes with McGee and smiled, noticing a slight one appearing on his face as well.

Tony put his other hand on McGee's face and held him still, lightly pressing their foreheads together. "Don't you ever forget that." He said with a supple amount of emotion.

And the raw passion that McGee felt in Tony's kiss melted into his soul, secretly leaving a soft but beautiful scar from the overwhelming emotions that coursed through their veins and powered both of their hearts.

...

_The next chapter involves:_

_-McGee calling Tony hun (And on accident, but with a response from Tony, of course…)_

_-Tony opening up a part of himself to McGee_

_-Coffee that isn't strong enough_

_-The beginning of Tony's problem (you knew it was coming, sooner or later…)_

**Please review! **


	8. Seventh Day

As you may have noticed, this story is labled as a Romance/Drama. This chapter is when a *little* of that drama begins, but most of it is further towards the end of the story.

As always, don't forget to review! Tell me what you thought about this chapter, what you liked or didn't like, where you think I'm going...and so forth.

_Chapter Eight_

...

McGee wore a soft but chipper smile the following morning, quietly whistling to himself as he dusted off another bookshelf in the library.

_I think it's safe to say that last night was the best date I've ever been on._ McGee thought. _Thirty foot ceilings, elegant architecture and design, and the whole idea that Tony fixed all of that up just for us. It almost makes me wonder if it was really Tony that I was with._ He pushed a few books aside, creating a larger area of the bookshelf for him to clean. _Don't get me wrong, but I never thought that Tony would be the kind of guy to go to such lengths for somebody like me, especially since it __**was**__ our first date._ McGee absentmindedly set another book on the opposite end of the shelf, continuing his cleaning. _Nevertheless, I can't stop myself from feeling so incredibly happy about the whole idea or from thinking about him. Well, alright, so maybe thinking about him isn't the most recent thing for me, but back then I sure didn't feel as passionate about simply being in the same room as him._

He felt his cheeks growing warm as his thoughts drifted back to their first kiss. _Oh God, Tony, you have no idea how elated yet terrified I became the moment you dared me to kiss you. An emotional atomic bomb went off within just seconds of my lips brushing against yours._ McGee stopped whistling for a moment and smiled softly. _Ahh, but then the most beautiful thing happened. Your eyes began to glow with a light that I had never seen before, and then your hand reached out to caress my cheek. Of course, right after that was the incredibly powerful and sumptuous kiss that you pulled me into. Even now, I can still feel the raw and warm passion that flowed from it._ McGee thought he felt his heart do a back flip, and he fought back a happy laugh, almost feeling as giddy as a school girl.

Tony had seated himself on the opposite side of the room, an opened book in his hands and his feet propped up on a nearby table. He had been watching McGee distractedly dusting for a little while, and he began to chuckle quietly.

_McGee's been happily cleaning the same little shelf for the past ten minutes. I wonder what the hell he could be so in thought about._ Tony cocked his head to the side and gazed at McGee's hips, observing them moving slightly from side to side in what appeared to be a subdued dance. _For some reason just now, he's reminding me of a French maid._ _Mmm…totally. I could go for him in one of those little black dresses, although him wearing nothing but one of those black silky neck ribbons sounds all the more appealing._ Tony thought, licking his lips at the idea. A moment later, he began to blink the idea out of his mind. _Damn it again, DiNozzo! Quit letting yourself think of him in such distorted and kinky ways. He made it clear that he doesn't get involved in the physical aspect of a relationship as quickly as you do. _He shifted himself in his seat and gently cleared his throat. _I don't even want my thoughts to be something that would make him uncomfortable or unhappy if he knew. No…Tim means more then that to me._ Tony added, grinning slightly down at the pages of his book.

McGee paused his cleaning for a moment, leaning over to pick up a spray bottle of polish. _So all I've got to do now is spray on the varnish and evenly rub it over with that special cloth._ He thought, beginning to put a thin layer of the liquid over the surface. Glancing over his shoulder for a few seconds, he looked at Tony contentedly seated in a large leather chair, whose eyes were straight down and locked into the pages of a Fairy Tale 'I Spy' book. McGee couldn't help but smile. "Don't work yourself so hard, Tony. You might strain something."

Tony instantly looked up and blinked before motioning down to the pages. Wearing his signature cheeky grin, he replied, "Hey, these books aren't as easy as you think. It's been over five minutes and I still haven't been able to find the waltzing purple flower."

McGee chuckled, becoming even more amused with their flirtatious banter. "A purple waltzing flower? Oh, I'll bet that's a _real _challenge." He added before reaching out towards where he thought a cloth was, the pungent smell of the varnish already prominent in his nose.

"Aha! Thought you could hide over by the dozing honeysuckles, did you now." Tony exclaimed. "Never mind, McGee. I found it." He added, laughing at himself.

McGee hadn't been able to find the cloth within his reach, and so he stopped for a moment to think of where it could be. _Last I remember, Tony had been using it to polish up the antique mahogany table, so he's probably still got it over by him._ He turned around and gazed at Tony for several seconds before he looked up from his book. "Need something, Mr. McClean?"

McGee pointed at the shelf behind him and replied, "Yeah, I think you've got the polishing cloth for the varnish." He then turned back around and grabbed the bottle again, spraying a little bit more over the wood. "Hey hun, could you bring it—" McGee's eyes grew wide and his mouth froze up, realizing what he had just said.

Tony's attention went straight to McGee, having heard exactly what words he had used. His eyebrow slid up and his teeth were revealed through another massive smile, while at the same time a sparkle ignited in his eyes. Closing his 'I Spy' book and setting it on the table, he got to his feet and began to head towards McGee. "Hun? Did you really just call me hun?" Tony asked, some subdued tones in his voice.

McGee could feel the heat fill his face. "Tony, please don't make a big deal out of it…" McGee mumbled, unsure how he was going to react to such a soft and delicate name.

Tony took a few slower steps, a pondering look on his face as he gently stroked his chin. "Hun…hun…" He said to himself before lightly shaking his head. Placing his hands on McGee's shoulders, he gently grabbed him and turned him around so that they were face to face, his embarrassment now evident. Tony was too busy gazing straight into his fair green eyes to even remotely notice, and to McGee's pleasure he was still grinning.

"Why would I have a problem with that?" Tony asked. "It's kinda cute, coming from you." His hands then went up to McGee's cheeks and lightly pulled him somewhat closer, making the distance smaller by leaning in a bit himself. Their mouths separated by mere inches, both Tony and McGee were enjoying the simplicity of just being so tantalizingly close to one another. "Just don't call me that in public, babe." Tony breathed in a whisper onto McGee's lips before sealing the gap with an equally gentle kiss.

After Tony pulled himself back, he reached into his pocket and removed the cloth McGee had been looking for. With a quick shake of his head, he grabbed McGee's hand and put it in his grip. "Knock yourself out." He said before turning around and heading back over to his table and chair. Grabbing the 'I Spy' book, Tony sauntered his way towards the shelf that he had taken it from and pressed it in its proper place, shifting his stance to face McGee again. "So what have you been thinking about these past ten minutes? You seemed a little too fixated on that one shelf to just have been dusting it."

McGee pressed the cloth a little harder into the wood. "I was mostly thinking about our date." He slowly replied. Tony nodded in response, and McGee could just barely see him do so out of the corner of his eye. "You played another old record last night. I didn't realize how much you enjoy music from the fifties. It's refreshing to find somebody else who doesn't just listen to the contemporary, modern tunes all over the radio."

Tony glanced down at the floor, gently biting down on his lower lip. _Should I tell him why?_ He asked himself, mentally calculating whether or not doing so would be a good idea. Waiting in a soft silence for a moment, he breathed deeply a few times before taking a step closer to McGee. "Yeah, I've always loved that type of music." Tony began. "It's kind of amazing to me that the whole style and philosophy of life back then was so different then it is today, only half a century later. Everything was more leisurely and pleasant in general." He glanced up at McGee, who was just finishing up the thin coat of varnish. "You know, Probie, I often think to myself that life back then seemed so much better then what it is today. People then weren't in such a hurry, and although jobs might have paid less nothing was very expensive either."

McGee exhaled softly and set down the cloth, rubbing his slightly sticky hands against the fabric of his dirty shirt. "That's for sure."

Tony locked eyes with McGee, the intensity of his gaze becoming more apparent as he stepped forward. "As much as I'd prefer to have been this age during that era, I know that I wouldn't have fit in. Plus you wouldn't have been there, so nothing would be quite the same."

McGee gently smiled and grabbed Tony's hand. "I'm sure you would have found somebody very similar to me."

Tony frowned somewhat. "But it wouldn't have been you, McGee. Besides, I don't think that 1950's American culture was very accepting of two guys dating."

McGee nodded. "So all that's why you play so much oldies music?" He asked, allowing Tony to take his other hand as well.

"You guessed it." Tony replied, glancing down at their interlocked fingers. He could feel the warm, gummy texture of the varnish on McGee's fingers transferring onto his own, but the thought hardly crossed his mind. Chuckling softly, he lightly squeezed McGee's hand. "You know, you're the first person that I've told about the oldies music and the fascination with the 50's era." He said, tilting his head back up to look at McGee again. "As you've probably figured out by now, I don't really open up to anyone."

McGee thought he felt his heart stop for a beat or two, and he knew that some hue of pink had emerged onto his cheeks for the hundredth time. Motioning with his head, he directed Tony's attention to the two nearby chairs. "Why don't we sit down and get comfortable? Then you can tell me anything you'd like." He suggested softly. Tony smirked in response, and they walked hand in hand to the deep crimson colored chairs. The seats were close enough that they could sit fully back and still hold one hand, but were far enough apart that both of them had decent amounts of leg room. Tony plopped himself down a few seconds after McGee had, repeatedly telling himself in his head that it was alright for him to talk.

However, Tony remained silent, and he averted his eyes from McGee's direct gaze. McGee scooted himself further up the chair and leaned forward onto his knees, gently pulling on Tony's hand to remind him that he was there. A moment later, Tony's attention crept up to McGee's face, and McGee was still able to see that a small part of Tony was still a little insecure about revealing a deeper part of himself.

"Hey Tony, it's alright," McGee reminded him in a soft voice. "You only need to say what you want to, and no matter what you tell me I'll listen to you and give you respect." He briefly squeezed Tony's hand, giving him a gentle smirk.

_Fuck, McGee. Your face is so cute it could melt steel._ Tony thought, releasing a soft sigh. _Or at least enough to make me cave._ He leaned forward and took another brief glance at the ground before looking back at McGee. "All that I really want is a place and a person to call my own. A place that will instantly calm me when I step inside, and someone that will always just…_be_ there and accept me just like this." He bit down on his lip and shook his head once or twice. "I often find myself thinking about how nice it would be to go home after a long or stressful day and simply curl up next to them for awhile, and maybe eat some sort of sinful food." Tony glanced up at the ceiling, a little grin appearing on his face as he pictured himself and McGee cuddled up together on a couch feeding each other chocolate covered strawberries.

McGee's eyes locked onto Tony's smile, watching as his entire expression lit up when he did so. He chuckled to himself in admiration, and the sound brought Tony's attention back to him.

"What?" Tony asked, curious as to why McGee had laughed. McGee shook his head once. "I'm sorry, it's just that I really adore your smile." He replied. "This might sound a bit clichéd, but whenever you smile like that I feel as though I just saw a piece of your soul."

If anyone other than McGee had just said that to Tony, he would have laughed at them so hard his lungs would have popped like balloons. Being with McGee, though, had been doing something to Tony that even he was only vaguely aware of for the time being. Something inside himself was changing, and yet like the green leaves of Autumn transforming into their fiery colors he knew that this alteration was completely natural. Even though a newfound swell of emotions was sizzling underneath his skin like an inferno, he couldn't possibly think of wanting it to stop. McGee's statement had reached into Tony and pulled out a part of him that had lain dormant for far too long, and within that moment of time he felt more drawn and connected to McGee then any other person he had known.

Tony slowly licked his lips, glancing down at his shoes. He took a deep breath, gazing into McGee's glistening eyes for what felt like an eternity. Leaning slightly more forward, he placed his free hand on the back of McGee's neck and brought him closer, pressing their lips together in a series of long and evocative kisses.

Tony pulled back a few inches, and McGee could feel his hot breath dusting against his moist lips. Looking McGee straight in the eye, Tony whispered, "I love it when I kiss you, Tim. Even our first kiss, _especially_ our first kiss, meant so much to me." He gently ran his thumb over McGee's soft jaw line, the texture of his skin so supple that even silk would have been coarse in comparison. "Whenever our lips come together, I feel so incredibly connected to you. It's as though this is exactly where I'm supposed to be."

McGee glanced away for a brief second, allowing all of his racing thoughts to settle. "Tony, even back when we first met I felt drawn to you." He laughed subtly, and pulled himself upright in his chair. "You know, one of the reasons why I went to Abby's lab so often was that I needed to find something to take my mind off of you."

Tony remained quiet, listening intently and recalling that he had experienced similar feelings about the same time. He crossed his legs and tilted his head to the side, propping it up with the palm of his hand.

McGee shifted a little closer. "I even remember having two or three dreams that involved us being together in this sort of relationship." He said, lightly bringing his shoulders up into a shrug.

Tony's eyebrow rose slightly, and he smiled halfway. "What happened in these dreams?"

"Well, the first one was so basic I barely remember it, but in the second one we were traveling all over the world on some sort of extra long and special date." McGee replied, taking a deep breath before continuing. "The third dream…the third dream involved both of us buying a nice apartment together and moving in."

Tony swallowed hard, expecting to feel passionate at any given moment. Instead, a rather acidic taste slithered up his throat and stretched across his tongue, giving him a strangely uncomfortable sensation. Although his mind was scattering itself to figure out just why, he could feel the answer begin to come forth from within himself. The sudden realization of just **how** strong and genuine McGee's feelings had been a little too much at one time for him to emotionally handle, because Tony had grown so accustomed to his short and artificial relationships that now every ounce of the real thing was making him sick.

If McGee had been looking up, he would have been able to tell by the fading twinkle in Tony's eyes that something was starting to bother him. Unaware of this, McGee gently cleared his throat and asked, "I know that it's pretty early to be even mentioning this at all, but could you possibly ever see us making it to that point?"

Much to Tony's detest, not only did his stomach feel somewhat sour, but suddenly he began to grow nervous. Mixed emotions stirred in him, and he started to feel as though he was losing the battle between what he wanted and where his feelings from bad habits were taking him.

_I really do care about you, McGee. __**So**__ much._ He thought, a salty taste joining the acidic one in his mouth. _I'm…completely terrified that my old ways are going to cause me to screw everything up, and that's the last thing I want for us. In fact, I think that's why I'm becoming nervous. _Tony inhaled a shaky breath, feeling his hands start to sweat. He forced himself to focus. _The third step to telling somebody that you care about them is by simply coming up with the right words to say…but since I care about McGee, then why am I unable to just tell him? _Tony rapidly glanced at him before directing his gaze to the floor, unable to handle the expression that he wore. _He's obviously beginning to trust me now, so I'm sure that if I were to say exactly what I've been feeling it would be just fine. _He covered his hand with his mouth and slid it down a little, then bit down on the side of one of his fingers. _I know that I was imagining the two of us cuddling together earlier, but I wasn't thinking about us moving in together. I'm just not ready for that big of a step yet._ Tony heard a soft sniffle come from McGee, and he fought the urge to punch himself in the face. _God, I'm just so damn scared that somehow I'll mess it all up and everything will end. But McGee deserves some reply, even though now it's been an uncomfortably long time for the poor guy._

Tony let out a faux chuckle and what could have been a smirk. "Yeah, sure, whatever, alright." He replied in a mashed and nonchalant sentence, pushing himself to his feet. His eyes traveled over to McGee's, and the moment they came in contact he could just feel the hurt radiating from him.

When Tony had given him that flippant response, McGee had honestly thought for a moment in time that a small piece of him had died. He would have been able to handle the silence of his sudden emotional flip flop better then the four words he had tossed out just to say something, and he held his own hand tightly to try and keep his head cool.

_Perhaps Tony just needs another cup of caffeine…_ McGee lied to himself before standing up as well. "I'm going to make some coffee then." He responded softly, his pain still evident in the tone of his voice. The emotions laced with his words were so strong that even Tony could sense it, but he simply nodded. "Sounds great. Coffee always sounds great." He replied, pretending that he didn't notice the sadness that was all too evident on McGee's face. Tony turned around, and McGee quietly sighed. "I'll try to brew it extra bold, just the way you like it." He said in response, taking a few steps closer to Tony and standing just to his side.

The emotional battle was still giving Tony conflicted thoughts, and as much as he wanted to apologize to McGee, at the moment he just couldn't do it. Clearing his throat, he responded, "The coffee's never strong enough…" His voice faded out, and he had become so ashamed of himself that he couldn't even glance over his shoulder to look at who he had hurt.

McGee gazed at the side of Tony's face, wondering what thoughts were rushing through his mind. _It's not the response you gave me, Tony. It's the expressions and tones behind it that gave me a little pain…but maybe all you need is some coffee to calm down. I understand that this is the beginning of a relationship like this to you, so I know that you'll need more time to adjust to all the feelings that you're just now discovering…_ McGee put his hand on Tony's shoulder and leaned forward, planting a tender kiss on his cheek before turning on his heels and exiting the room.

Tony remained standing perfectly still all by himself, the spot where McGee had just kissed him prickling his skin with the reminder that he still cared about him.

_What just happened? Shit, DiNozzo. That's what just happened, and as per usual it's all your fault._ Tony thought to himself, taking a step forward and forcefully dropping his head against a shelf of books. Releasing a sharp breath, he curled his fingers into a fist and squeezed until all of his veins were popping up from his skin.

_I'll make up for the crap I just spat out, Tim. I can't stand to see you walking around without a smile on your face._ Tony closed his eyes for a few moments and forced himself to take several deep breaths, each one further clearing his head. _Needless to say, I know I'll make many more mistakes, but so long as I'm able to work up the courage to tell him that I'm probably falling in love with him…everything will turn out just fine._

...

_The next chapter involves:_

_-Tony giving McGee a bear hug and apologizing for his stupidity_

_-McGee and Tony more seriously discussing their relationship_

_-Tony's vow and a bouquet of flowers_

_-A gratuitous amount of physical passion_


	9. Three words

There is more physical passion in this chapter, but I do not go very far! I don't think that writing a sex scene would have added to the storyline that I've got going. Quite honestly, I think it would have detracted from everything else that I have happen here.

_Chapter Nine_

...

All night long, Tony was unable to stay asleep. Every hour it seemed that he awoke from a daze, and each time the first thing that flew into his mind was McGee's face. Sometimes he was smiling at Tony, sometimes he was wearing a slight frown, and other times he was even mouthing words to him, but all the while the discomfort in his eyes was completely evident.

_Oh my God, McGee, you're everywhere._ He thought, sitting up in his bed. Tony brushed his fingers through his unkempt hair and glanced over at the clock, noticing that it was late enough for McGee to have been up for a little while. After throwing on a decent shirt and a clean pair of pants, Tony gave himself a quick look over in the nearby mirror before stumbling his way down the stairs with his eyes halfway open. Yawning, he covered his mouth and stepped into the kitchen, not finding McGee there.

_That's strange…did he already eat breakfast?_ Tony wondered, turning around and heading into the larger dining area. Once he stepped into that room, he spied McGee standing with his back to him, slightly hunched over and appearing to be reading a book. Suddenly Tony cleared his throat and took some rather quick but weary steps in his direction, but McGee was so enveloped in his book that he didn't notice Tony's presence until he was standing in front of him with the expression of a lost puppy. McGee's eyes grew wide as Tony's arms flew open and circled around McGee's body, locking him into a tight bear hug and nearly knocking him over, but also causing the book that he had been reading to slip out of his hands and land shut on the hard floor with a thud.

Tony pushed his face deep into the fabric of McGee's shirt, inhaling the familiar scent of his light cologne. His fingers stretched even higher across his back, causing the hug to get even more intimate and almost making McGee think that he was holding on for dear life itself.

"I'm mad as hell about yesterday and I'm not going to take it anymore." Tony began, letting his fingers glide up McGee's neck and fidget into his hairline.

"I just kept on seeing your face, Probie. Every single time that I'd wake up, you'd be right there." He added, breathing lightly onto his neck. Tilting his mouth up closer to McGee's ear, he whispered, "I knew that I ticked you off, but if I had known that you were capable of subconscious stalking then I would've thought twice."

McGee looked down at Tony and chuckled in amusement. "Oh, it wasn't that much of an issue. Don't be so melodramatic."

"But you're my precious…" Tony replied with a slight Gollum tone to his voice, pulling McGee's head down and gently placing several kisses onto his forehead. "Seriously, though, I'm sorry about what went on yesterday." He said, pulling back slightly. "Is there some way I can make it up to you?"

McGee gazed into Tony's pleading eyes, feeling any leftover frustration within himself simply fade away. He released a soft sigh and nodded, then motioned down towards the book that he had been reading before Tony's embrace.

"You can start by picking up the late 19th century edition of Homer's _Iliad._" McGee replied, raising his eyebrow. Tony's eyes widened to the size of small saucers, and he bit down on his own lip from embarrassment. Glancing down over his shoulder at the older manuscript, he then rapidly turned around and picked it up, carefully blowing off whatever particles might have gotten onto it from the floor. Tony tenderly ran his fingers over the cover, almost afraid of causing anymore damage to its slightly cracked condition. "Nineteenth century, did you say?" He asked with a soft squeak in his voice. McGee watched in amusement as Tony cradled the book like a baby before handing it back over to him.

"It may be a hundred years old, but if it has survived life here in the mountains I think it can handle being dropped on accident." McGee replied, watching some of the tension scrunched on Tony's face change to relief.

"I'll have to pay more attention to what book you're reading next time." Tony said, stepping forward and placing his hands on McGee's chest. "I'll try not to bother the important ones." He leaned in closer and gave him a few soft kisses.

McGee shook his head and smiled slightly, setting the book onto a nearby surface. "They're all important, Tony."

Tony looked into McGee's glistening eyes before glancing down at the floor. "Oh, that's right. All books are quite meaningful to you." He responded, taking a single step away.

McGee instantly grabbed Tony's hand and pulled him back. "Yes they are, but I'd still take affection from you over one." He replied with a light and forgiving tone to his voice.

Tony suddenly had a fluttering sensation within his stomach that brought back to mind the feelings from the very first time their lips had brushed against each others. For reasons that he couldn't explain, Tony began to think about all of the things he loved about McGee; there was the bright twinkle in his eye that only lit up when he was looking at Tony, there were the little acts of a nice breakfast or a kind word, and there was even the way this _one_ rebellious segment of hair would fall down from his perfectly coiffed hair that simply drove Tony insane. Among all of the things that he treasured about his McGee, at the very top of his list was simply the thought that he was sincere. Within his three and a half decades of life, Tony hadn't encountered anybody that was so open and ready or even willing to forgive, and he reasoned that that one thing alone was enough to cause himself to become head over heels for Timothy McGee.

The thoughts inside his head began to spin around so fast that they all started to mesh as one, and even his ability to speak English melted away into the mixture for a moment as McGee's gaze pierced through his own with a spine tingling amount of vigor. Tony had come up with several different monologues of his affection that he had wanted to give McGee at a time like this, but nearly all words dissipated from his head. Clearing his throat, one lone word did creep back to him, and before he knew what was going on his lips had parted open and said it aloud.

"Love." Tony spat out, noticing a surprised furrow form on McGee's forehead. He licked his lips and swallowed down the lump in his throat. "I love you, Tim."

The sudden glow from McGee's eyes illuminated his features and gave him an angelic silhouette that was so beautiful Tony could almost feel his heart seeping over with passion. McGee must have felt the same thing, because the sensation that his fingers gave as they delicately traced along Tony's cheekbone was unlike anything else he knew. Simply gazing into his eyes, McGee released a gentle breath that tenderly dusted against his skin. Glancing away for a brief second, he chuckled to himself quietly. "I love you too, Tony." He replied, wearing a bright grin that could have easily competed with one of Tony's.

Tony blinked curiously a few times and opened his mouth to respond, but was muted by McGee's lips fervently decorating his own with kisses. Tony didn't object one bit, and was soon speeding up the depth and amount of the ones given and received. McGee allowed his tongue to be taken captive, and pretty soon Tony had pushed him up against a wall and was allowing his mouth and all of its counterparts to go on a Southern exploration.

McGee laughed a little bit, excited and not too surprised by Tony's wandering lips. He fought back the urge to tilt his head down and continue their kissing, but as he felt the soft yet decadent method by which Tony was placing his mouth across his skin all of those thoughts vanished from his mind anyways. "I can tell that you have been wanting this for _way_ too long!" McGee exclaimed as Tony's tongue managed to undo the first three buttons of his shirt.

A smile spread like wildfire across Tony's light pink face, but he gave no answer and continued kissing along McGee's collarbone.

"Oh come on, just admit you have already." McGee added, swallowing hard as he felt Tony's tongue make a circle around the sensitive spots on his chest. Tony instantly glanced up, and then silenced McGee with a deeper kiss.

"How was that for an answer?" Tony asked sarcastically, letting his fingertips go along the same trail as his lips had. McGee let his head fall back against the firm wall, and he released a brief but audible sigh. Tony bent down and placed one more kiss right in the center of McGee's neck, applying it with firm but steady pressure. After he had given it to him, Tony looked back into McGee's eyes and could tell he was more then content.

"You know, Tony," McGee began, now reaching his fingers up to touch the top of his shirt. "I don't think I quite understood that answer."

_Oh, by the time I'm done you'll know the answer backwards, forwards, upside down, and in fifty other languages._ Tony thought, nodding his head and scanning his eyes over McGee's body for a few seconds. He then glanced over both of his shoulders as if searching for something. Suddenly his hand flew up and seized the back of McGee's neck, pulling him forward so fast that he had almost lost his balance. Tony could nearly feel the tips of their noses touching, and their breath united into one puff of warm air. "So what if I have wanted all of this for a long time, Probalicious?" He asked, allowing his eyebrow to slide upwards. "You're here now, so we can do whatever we please." He nodded towards the exit of the room. "Why don't we go upstairs and…" Tony's hand moved to the small of McGee's back, casually beginning its downward drift. "…we can _talk_ about it?" He whispered suggestively, feeling McGee's muscles spontaneously tense up. "Care to _discuss things_ once we get there?"

McGee was shocked that his heart hadn't exploded from all of the adrenaline that now had free reign over his system. He simply nodded his head to Tony's proposition, and right then the two traveled up to the second floor so fast that they almost seemed to teleport into a bedroom.

McGee tilted his head forward and locked their lips into another passion filled kiss, wishing that he could just freeze time at that very moment and be stuck in their current situation for the rest of his life. Tony, however, went on with his affection, and even pushed McGee down onto the side of the bed.

"Are you going to tell me something now, Tony?" McGee inquired, watching as Tony took a few slow steps forward and crawled onto the bed over him. "Of course. I'll tell you everyday." He said, kissing his lips again. "On Monday…" Tony began, placing a kiss onto his chin. "On Tuesday…On Wednesday…" He added, both times kissing down his jaw. "On Thursday…On Friday…" He said in between deep kisses to the base of McGee's neck and collarbone. Stopping just before the still clasped buttons began, Tony sat up somewhat and quickly opened and removed his shirt as well as McGee's. He lowered his head again to the velvety skin that was right above McGee's naval and gently placed his hand there, delivering one more kiss. "And especially on weekends." He concluded, glancing up at McGee before trailing his lips down to his beltline.

McGee's head pressed back into the mattress, and he let out another subdued moan. Suddenly he felt something cold wrap around his wrists, and then he heard several clicks. Looking in their direction, he discovered Tony to have handcuffed him to the poles of the bed. McGee then glanced at him, and his expression showed that he was wondering how he would react. McGee quickly raised and lowered both of his eyebrows simultaneously, drawing a playful growl from Tony.

"I like this side of you, Mister DiNozzo." McGee said in a low, rather suave tone. "So dominant. So direct…" He added as Tony crept closer. McGee lifted his mouth up to Tony's ear and breathed against it. "So aggressive." He whispered before softly biting down on the cartilage.

Tony let out a surprised gasp, but then started to chuckle. He pulled back and smiled with an open mouth at McGee, who simply glowed with exhilaration. Tony began to shake his head, and put his hands on the clasp of McGee's belt again. "I didn't know you could be so…_feisty_, Tim." He said after pulling the leather strap from his pants. Tony then brought himself back up to McGee's face and pressed a few more pleasurable kisses to his lips, nearly giggling in each one.

"Well there _are_ a few things about me you have yet to discover." McGee suggested. Tony took the hint, and went back to the button of his pants.

...

McGee lay facing up at the ceiling, his breathing somewhat heavier. Right next to him, Tony had nestled against his side, one of his arms laid across McGee's bare chest and the other propping his own head up so he could get a better view of the stars in McGee's eyes.

Tilting his face slightly at an angle, McGee's gaze locked with Tony's. There was a stronger and brighter shimmer that made his entire complexion radiate with an even greater amount of beauty then McGee had thought was humanly possible.

Tony released a gentle breath and began to run his hand back and forth over McGee's skin. With a half smirk, he asked, "Was that as fun for you as it was for me?"

McGee nearly wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the question. He lifted up his own hand and placed it on top of Tony's, gently holding it still over his heart. "Do you feel that? My pulse is still racing." He paused for a moment before adding, "I think this has been the best time that I've had all this past year, and I'm not just talking about…you in bed." McGee finished right as Tony bent his head down and placed a couple of kisses onto his stomach. Almost instantly, his head jerked up and a devilish smile became his expression.

"Oh, of course you're not." He replied, letting his fingers lightly begin to graze down his chest, just barely touching the surface of his skin. McGee clenched his jaw slightly as another little tingle of pleasure crept up his spine, and his free hand gripped into the sheets. Tony noticed both, and he chuckled softly. "I love how intense your reactions are whenever I touch you." He said in a whisper, dusting his lips over the middle of McGee's chest as he spoke.

McGee closed his eyes for a moment. "That's because I never thought this day would come." He replied, glancing at Tony. "Even in my wildest dreams, I didn't think that someone like you would go for such a…geek like me. Actually, I had convinced myself that just the notion of you ever wanting anything romantically with a guy, _any_ guy, was totally out of the question."

Tony couldn't help but snort. "Wait, what? You didn't get all of the hints?" He asked, genuinely surprised. He rested his chin on McGee's ribs and began making small hand gestures. "The nicknames, the way I'd always grab your shoulders for attention, that one time I gave you the shirt right off of my back, or how I pretended that we were a married couple on that one case that involved a therapist?" He finished, unsure of why McGee hadn't been convinced about his interest.

"Well, I just thought that maybe somehow you found out that I have a greater attraction to men then woman and that you were just making fun of me." McGee said quietly.

Tony folded his hands and slid them underneath his chin. He glanced down at the silky white chest that was rising and falling below him, and he couldn't help but grin.

"You thought I could be that much of a bastard?" He asked. "Even if I had known, I wouldn't have made fun of you for something like that." Tony said, scooting himself close enough to give McGee's neck another peck.

McGee took in a few thoughtful breaths before he replied. "No, I've never thought of you as that. A little unorthodox or insensitive at times, but never a bastard."

Tony chuckled. "Well that's not so bad, then." He lifted his head up a little and glanced out a nearby window, noticing that it hadn't snowed anymore in the past few days and that what was out there looked lighter.

McGee frowned slightly as Tony got up from the bed and started to get dressed. He stretched his hand out towards him and motioned down to his side. "Hey, where are you going?"

Tony quickly did the final few buttons on his shirt before turning back to face McGee. He pointed towards the window and replied, "I just have to run and get something, alright?" Leaning over the bed, he gently placed a kiss onto McGee's lips. "I promise I'll be back before you even know I'm gone."

McGee's brow furrowed. "You're going to drive into town?"

Tony shook his head. "No, there's something that I left out in the car." He smiled at McGee before turning around and heading out the bedroom door.

...

Tony gently shut the front door behind him, locking it with his free hand. Placing his keys back onto a table, he also set down a small box and removed his coat. He draped it over a chair and then pried open the box, removing a couple of fresh flowers.

_I hope you like bear grass and Indian paintbrushes, McGee. They're the native flowers of Montana._ He thought, gazing down at the white, orange, and red buds. _I know that I picked these outside a few days ago, but thankfully it's so cold in the car that it acted like a freezer and kept them in perfect condition. _

Tony stuck his head into the kitchen and glanced around, making sure that McGee wasn't in sight. He quickly walked over to the counter and set the flowers down before reaching up over the sink and pulling down some mistletoe. Removing the white silk ribbon, he then tied it into a bow around the stems of the five flowers. He picked up the bouquet and held it behind his back before heading upstairs, back into the bedroom where he had left McGee.

To his delight, he was in the exact same spot where he had left him. His eyes lit up once he saw Tony, but a look of surprise was also there.

"What's behind your back?" McGee asked as Tony stepped closer.

"Take a guess." He replied as McGee sat up in bed. He tilted his head to the side and raised his eyebrow slightly. "I'm not sure. Knowing you it could be anything."

Tony took a step closer and waited a moment before pulling out the bright bouquet from behind his back. McGee's mouth opened, and Tony sat himself down on the side of the bed.

"You got me flowers, Tony?" McGee asked, pleasantly surprised. Tony handed them off to his outstretched hands, letting his fingers linger on top of McGee's before pulling away.

"Oh, they're gorgeous." He said, sticking his nose into each flower. "They smell wonderful too."

Tony took one of McGee's hands and kissed it. "I'm glad you like them."

McGee smiled softly at Tony and gently squeezed his hand, glancing down at their grip. "I can tell that our relationship really is starting to matter to you."

Tony placed his other hand on the side of McGee's face and gazed directly into his eyes. "I did some serious thinking last night before I fell asleep, and I realized that I can't stand seeing you without a smile." He said, glancing at the flowers before continuing. "Anything that's of value comes at a cost, and if the price for me to be with you is that I face my fear of long term commitment then I'll take it head on."

McGee leaned into Tony's hand, enjoying the warmth. "Tony, I don't expect things to go flawlessly. I know you well enough to get that you've got your share of complications to work out." He leaned over for a moment and placed the flowers onto the night stand. Scooting a bit closer to Tony, he paused for a moment and thought. "But I love you enough to stay here right by your side and help you figure out anything that you need."

Tony suddenly felt so happy that he sprung up and tackled McGee, and they both landed onto the bed with a thump. McGee started to laugh, and Tony rolled halfway off of him and propped himself up with his elbows. He then pulled McGee's face so that their gazes could lock again, and for a very long time they remained just like that.

"Hey Probie, I'll always find a way to be there for you when you need me too." He said, brushing his thumb against McGee's cheek. "You know, I don't really like to make promises, but I think that I'm ready to make you one."

McGee shifted underneath Tony. "Really? What might that be?"

Tony bit down on his lip and sighed gently. "A promise to treat you in the way you deserve to be." He replied. "You're an amazing person, and as such it's only fair that I give you the proper treatment."

McGee smiled and opened his mouth to respond, but Tony promptly silenced him by putting a finger over his lips. "You deserve it."

A part of Tony knew that he would quickly make another mistake and cause McGee more anguish, but at the same time he knew that they had more stamina then they realized. Besides, the bittersweet bantering they gave each other was becoming a sort of game that was becoming more addictive by the second, and they certainly weren't about to stop.

...

_The next chapter includes:_

_-Tony's fear of messing things up causes him to do just that_

_-A flustered McGee goes for a walk in the woods_

_-A certain song that plays on the radio _

_-Separation by an act of Nature… _

**Please review!**


	10. Deduce, misuse, and excuse

_Chapter Ten_

...

_Thank God for Google._ Tony thought to himself as his fingers began to furiously type across the laptop keyboard. He sighed gently to himself and propped his elbows onto the table, scrolling down the search results within seconds of typing in what he wanted to find.

_Huh, that's…_ He briefly scanned over the given links, not finding anything that he wanted. Quickly clicking on the second and third pages and still not finding what he had been looking for, his eyebrows furrowed and several small creases formed onto his forehead in slight frustration.

…_that's pure crap._ Tony groaned softly as he tried modifying his search inquiry, still not turning up his intended results. His head dropped backwards in defeat for a moment, and to distract himself he began to investigate the ceiling.

_I thought for sure that I could find a step by step guide on how to treat somebody right, but all that kept coming up were song lyrics or lonely people looking for the same thing as me._ Crossing his arms in defeat, he brought his head back up and glanced at the screen. _Tim deserves better treatment from me then what I've been known to give him in the past, but aside from a few basic things like the flowers I gave him yesterday I'm at a total loss of how to provide him that. I mean, he's my first relationship where I actually __want__ it to be something deeper and long term. _Tony chuckled to himself at that realization, and he lightly shook his head. _As sad as that may be for my age, it's the truth. He's the first person that I've said 'I love you' to and not only meant it, but could __**feel**__ it…and that's a sensation that has yet to leave my mind. _He began to smile, and his tilted head straightened up. Unfolding his arms, he scrolled the mouse over to the close button on the computer screen and exited the Internet before shutting the laptop with a soft click. Tony paused for a moment afterwards and gazed down at its lustrous black color, almost able to see his reflection in its mirror like surface.

_Just use your head, DiNozzo. The right actions will surface in your thick skull eventually if you just let them._ He reminded himself. _Besides, Tim is worth more to me then a search engine answer._

...

_The next day_

...

Tony carefully placed the small cup of creamer next to the steaming coffee mug before he took a slight step back and examined the meal tray he had arranged. _There, perfect. Non salty eggs with a ham and Swiss sandwich. _He nodded to himself before picking it up and heading towards the stairs.

_Sure, Tim's probably sick of eating basically the same foods every day, but with this next snowstorm it's impossible for me to drive to a store and buy something different._ He thought as he lightly pushed open the door of the bedroom and headed inside. With each step, he noticed McGee shift some more underneath the comforter, but by the time Tony was about five feet from the bed he had pushed himself up and opened his eyes halfway.

Blinking a few times, he reached his hand up and quickly rubbed his eyes. "Tony? What are you doing up so early?" He asked right before noticing what was in his hands.

Tony grinned and sat himself down on the edge of the bed, holding the tray out to him. "It's not that early, sleepyhead. For once, _you_ were the one that slept until eleven o'clock." McGee stared at Tony with half opened eyes and he stretched his arms out to the side. "I guess this longer then usual vacation is making me sort of lazy."

He then gazed down at the steaming tray of food, the fresh aroma taunting his nose and prompting him to wake up.

"Oh wow, this brunch looks great." He commented, taking the meal from Tony. A slight smirk grew on his face as he glanced down at the eggs. Pointing at them, he opened his mouth to say something, but Tony instantly lifted his hand.

"Don't worry about a thing. This time I put the salt shaker to the side so that **you** can make them exactly the way you'd like."

McGee chuckled and leaned over the tray towards Tony. "How thoughtful of you. Now my taste buds won't have to live in fear." He said as Tony's lips formed a playful pout before pressing onto McGee's several times.

"You might be right about that, actually." Tony replied after he pulled himself back. McGee pushed away some of the thick blanket that was covering him to make room for the tray, but as he did so he accidentally moved it down too far. Tony had been watching him, and he caught a brief but full glimpse of the fact that McGee had fallen asleep without any clothes on.

"Good morning to you too, Probalicious." He immediately said, his eyes getting wider. "I see that you forgot to put your panties back on after last night's festivities."

McGee's face had turned a light shade of pink after he had fixed the covers and he had tried to preoccupy himself with a sip of coffee, but Tony's comment caused him to nearly choke on it. He forced himself to take a calm breath, and he promptly set the mug back down. "Well I'm not really used to that much…_excitement._" He squeezed out.

Tony reached his hand forward and stroked the tops of McGee's fingers. "Hey, I get what you're saying. You're just not used to it. Oh, but don't let it bother you." He replied, moving himself further up the bedside. Stopping his face just a slight distance from McGee's, he licked his lips and let them simply hover there.

"I'll make an _energetic_ man out of you, Tim." He breathed, the sensation of his warmth passionately embracing McGee all by itself.

McGee swallowed and stared into Tony's eyes, reaching his hand up to ruffle his hair. "You know, as lovely as this food you made me is, I…I think it can wait just a few more minutes." He replied before allowing his lips to capture Tony's again. McGee's hand shifted to the back of his head and pulled him further into their kisses, and for once Tony was the one softly groaning from the passion.

A faint aching suddenly formed in his chest, and with each "I love you" exchanged in between their few seconds when they would take a breath it only became stronger. Tony's hands went up to McGee's shoulders and lightly embraced his neck, and as he did so their noses were briefly pressed together.

McGee breathed onto Tony as he pulled himself back to speak. "You are one of the most alluring people I have ever met…" His gaze locked with Tony's, and his eyes were filled with an almost painful looking hunger for more. McGee complied for a second and placed a long kiss onto the side of his neck, feeling the muscles underneath Tony's skin contract as he leaned into it. McGee's other hand soon made its way up the front of his chest and coasted up to the top of his collarbone, his fingertips lightly pushing away the fabric of his shirt. "It's a wonderful thing that only makes me want you even more." He added as his lips delicately glided over Tony's skin in a sensual manner.

_Who would've thought that McGee would be the one to be seducing __**me**__…_Tony wondered as he felt his rational mind fade into his touch. With every moment and every move that McGee made, the ache in Tony's chest became twice as bold as before. Combined with the raw heat of his flesh, his heart inflated with passion to the point at which he thought it might burst, until he heard Tim's voice soothe him with three more words, "It's indescribably beautiful."

To his surprise, Tony lightly chuckled. "An accomplished author who can't think of words to say? That's quite an amusing paradox."

Tim took a deep breath and pulled himself back to eye level with Tony. "Only because some emotions are too complex for words…and the way I've felt these past couple of weeks has been beyond anything that I would be able to describe for a book."

Tony paused for a moment, and with a smile McGee planted a kiss onto his cheek before gently patting his chest. "And that's perfectly fine with me."

...

_Emotions too complex for even a novelist to put into words…those are some heavy duty feelings. _Tony pondered as he entered the library. His eyes scanned over the floor to ceiling bookshelves and were drawn straight to the windows, which showed him that the forecast of heavy snow wasn't going to change soon. Releasing a low whistle, he took several steps towards a chair and stood thoughtfully in front of it for a moment before slowly sitting himself down.

_Would it be ironic to say that I've been feeling the exact same way?_ _I mean sure, I know that I love him, but that's such a basic answer. But outside of that, I'm at a loss of where to begin to describe how I feel…_ Tony thought, placing his elbow onto the armrest. _McGee's so…wholesome. He's also completely devoted to whoever he cares about, even if there's a chance that they might hurt him. His heart is just...big. _

The sound of the fierce wind outside drew Tony's attention back to the window, where he realized that although the snowfall was becoming thinner, the intensity of the storm remained unwavering. He sighed and turned back in his seat.

_It's just that I don't understand why he would take that kind of risk. Why am I worth it? He knows all about my dating history and my laundry list of mistakes. I know that he's got his own slip ups, but what I don't think he completely understands is that relationships have always been my weak area. If he only knew __**half**__ of the cruel things I've said to the people in my past, I'm sure he'd run away faster then lightening. _

Out of the corner of his eye, Tony saw a long and dark object pass by the window. Suddenly a loud smash broke his train of thought, and he jumped in his seat from the noise. Turning around, he eyes grew wide as they locked onto the pane. He had looked just in time to see a large tree branch smash against the window, and there was a massive crack in the glass from where the point of impact had been. The break stretched both up and out, expanding over nearly the entirety of the window.

Tony stood up and immediately went over to the glass, his eyes growing wide as they inspected the damage. _We're lucky that it didn't completely shatter the glass. That would have been one hell of a problem to fix. _He thought, holding his hand near the crack. With great care, his fingertips touched the flawed surface. Almost instantly he withdrew his hand, the sharp texture of the break drawing a pinprick amount of blood.

_Damn it! That's a deeper crack then I had thought it would be._ He wiped his red fingertip on the side of his dark jeans and abruptly exhaled.

_Then again, this might be just what I needed to see…_ He began to think as his eyes scanned over the window again. As he began to process things, his stare grew wide and a light bulb of sorts came on in his head. _If I'm not careful with what I say or do to Tim, then I might end up damaging him to the point of where I can't be forgiven._ _However, if I just pull myself back to where I simply limit what I say and do a very minimum, then I can completely avoid hurting him. It sounds like a perfect plan!_

Tony continued to gaze at the glass for a little while until he began to analyze what he had said. Blinking several times, he lightly shook his head. _Since when did I start to think in metaphors? _He pressed onto his temples, gently rubbing in little circles. _Maybe I just need some caffeine to wake me up._

Right as he turned around, McGee appeared in the doorway. He had one towel wrapped around his head and another one on his hips, but the bright glow in his eyes was the first thing that Tony noticed.

"I missed you in the shower." McGee said as he got closer to Tony. Leaning in, he gave him a brief kiss, and a second later drew back and gaped at the window.

"Oh my God. What happened here?" He asked, not even realizing that Tony had barely kissed him back. Pointing a finger at the window, he continued to stare at it until Tony responded.

"A stray branch smacked into it." He replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets. _The less I say, the better it is for Tim…_ He reminded himself. _If I hardly speak, there's no possible way for me to hurt him._

McGee slowly shook his head. "Well, I guess we're fortunate that not only is the glass still intact, but according to the latest forecasts the storm should die down within the hour." He replied, glancing over his shoulder to look at Tony. His eyes were on the ground, and the look on his face made him seem conflicted. McGee frowned slightly and headed towards him, his outstretched hand coming to rest on his shoulder.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked. Tony glanced up at him and shrugged before turning around. "Yeah, I just need something to drink."

McGee paused before letting his hand go back to his side. "If you say so." He replied. Although he was unconvinced of Tony's reason, he took a step away from him and headed towards the door. "I'm just going to get dressed." He added, giving Tony a final glance over before leaving the room.

...

Tony lightly bit on his lip as he set down his steaming mug, the excessively bold taste of the inky black coffee almost too strong and hot for him to bear. It didn't help that the strainer had broken in the midst of his brewing, because nearly all of the grains had fallen into his cup and made it more like a thin midnight colored stew. His halfway opened eyes remained glued to the world outside his row of windows, and the still whiteness that he was able to see told him that the severe storm had come to a close.

As much as he hated to admit it, he was starting to feel uneasy and uptight about his current situation. Sure, he had been closely watching his tongue to be certain that he didn't say the wrong thing, but had it really been necessary for him to deny McGee a kiss for the second time a few moments ago? Tony fought back the temptation to smash his head against the wall, and he sighed quietly.

Standing several feet away, McGee was hovering over the broken coffee pot, trying in vain to fix it. He also sighed, and with a motion of his hand he threw down a piece of it in defeat.

"I don't know what to tell you, Tony. This thing's just…broken." McGee said, hoping that his confusion over Tony's behavior wasn't overly evident in his voice. Glancing over his shoulder, he gazed at the back of his head and watched him nod.

"Thanks for trying." Tony replied, turning just enough to give him a half smile. McGee was able to see through his expression as though he was transparent, and the reason that he had assumed as to why Tony looked like that almost bothered McGee too much to say anything just yet. Instead, he scrunched his shoulders up near his face and shook his head. "Don't mention it." He said before pushing the machine to the back of the counter.

Tony knew him well enough to sense when he was bothered, and he could feel the heat of McGee's uncertainty from all the way across the room. _Well, maybe he just needs some time to adjust to my new method._ Tony thought to himself, taking a small sip from his mug and regretting it a split second later.

McGee had strolled over to Tony and stood directly behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his chin on his shoulder. He tilted his head to the side and gazed at his cheek, debating whether or not giving him a kiss would be a good thing.

_Why do I even need to think about something like that? We're a couple…I should be able to just kiss Tony without thinking such things._ McGee told himself before pressing his lips against his skin. To his dismay, Tony instantly pulled himself away and headed towards the sink, holding out his mug as though it were a disease.

"I can't drink anymore of this coffee." He declared, dumping it down the sink and setting the empty cup on the counter.

McGee slouched forward and propped one of his hands against his hip, letting his other hand hang freely. He glanced down at the floor and exhaled harshly before looking up at Tony, who was still facing the sink.

_Am I just imagining that he's drawing away from me, or is he really becoming overwhelmed with this whole thing?_ McGee asked himself, placing his free hand thoughtfully on his chin. _It's not like me to just invent a negative situation, and I know that Tony's afraid of commitment…but then why is he handling it this way? He should just come out and tell me his fears so we can work through them together._ McGee moved his hand from his chin to his forehead and lightly rubbed it, attempting to make sense out of what he knew. _Then again, Tony isn't necessarily the best at expressing what he's truly thinking, especially if it involves his more personal aspects. Maybe all he needs is some prodding to figure out just what's going on inside his head…and maybe now that the snow storm has stopped I should take a walk outside to sort through my own thoughts. _McGee concluded, stroking the area right above his brows.

Tony placed his hands onto the counter and leaned forward slightly, pretending to be looking at the cupboards. _Oh, shit. Did I really do it again? _He then forcefully squeezed his eyes shut, wishing that McGee would simply say something in response. The still silence that surrounded him pierced through his ears like a sonic boom, and he nearly wanted to scream just to destroy it. Tony clenched his jaw and was about to invent a conversation when he heard footsteps and a long sigh behind him.

"You didn't have to say that you loved me." McGee quietly said. Tony's clenched jaw relaxed and dropped open, and he slowly turned around to face him. "What? But I do, Probie-"

"But you're obviously not ready." McGee interrupted just as their gazes locked together. Tony was surprised at how gentle his eyes appeared to be, but at the same time it didn't shock him that his tone of voice made him sound injured.

Tony remained motionless, and to his surprise he heard McGee chuckle quietly. Shaking his head, McGee then took a half step away from him and turned to the side. "I guess I've always had this…_girlish_ fantasy about being swept off on some sort of romantic whirlwind adventure, so I'll admit that my hopes for this trip were too high. You just simply aren't that sort of person. No, you're just…_Tony._" McGee glanced at him with the same soft eyes, hoping that he would understand that he wasn't trying to offend him. He took in a quick breath before continuing, "Don't get me wrong, I love you precisely the way you are and I would be upset if you ever tried to change that. However…" He paused, going over his thoughts again before saying them out loud. "…I really think that you need to spend some time in thought. Think about who you might be next year. Think about where you want to be next year. Think about who you want to be with next year." McGee started to gesture with his hands, becoming more passionate about his words. "Think about Gibbs, think about Abby, think about me, but most importantly think about yourself. You should really get to know yourself better, because it's much easier to love somebody when they understand and accept themself completely."

As much as Tony wanted to respond, he suddenly found himself paralyzed. He noticed that McGee's eyes seemed to be getting wet, and since he was still human there were slight tears forming in his own too. Tony held his breath as McGee turned his back towards him, taking a few short steps away. "Now that the storm's over, I think this is the perfect opportunity for me to go for a small walk to sort out my own feelings. If I were you, I'd take this time to reflect." McGee glanced at him for a long time before exiting the room, leaving him alone.

Tony's previously locked joints suddenly loosened up, almost causing him to fall forward. He stopped himself with the edge of the counter and took several deep breaths, blinking away the layer of tears that had formed in his eyes.

_What did I just let happen? What exactly was I allowing myself to believe?_ Tony heard his thoughts ask as he brushed his fingers over his chin and onto his lips. _How did I actually think that by backing off I wouldn't cause any problems? And why did I not realize how big of a dumbass I was being until after McGee left the room?_ He allowed his eyes to slip shut for a moment.

_This is just another classic DiNozzo screw over._ He reminded himself. _After McGee comes back inside, we can just talk things out like two calm adults and move on-no harm done, but to think that this whole issue began with a single idea. At the time it sounded so perfect to me, too. Then again, over half the stuff that I think sounds right in my head ends up being totally wrong after I've actually said it. It's just too bad that I can't go back in time and reprocess my thoughts._ Tony let out a soft sigh. _One damn notion was enough to place me right where I am now. Although since misery loves company, it ended up dragging my actions away from where I wanted them to be as well._ A muffled chuckle escaped his lips. _Of course, my mistakes can't be something simple like letting his coffee get cold or accidentally putting on his clothes. _Tony pondered before glancing up and spying a radio not too far from his reach.

_Huh, what a convenient distraction. _Tilting his head to the side, he thought for a moment before switching it on. Loud country music filled the air, and he felt himself cringe. Turning down the volume as well as changing the channel, a wave of rock then spiritual then classical music filled the air, and right before he was about to turn it off a familiar sounding tune came on the air.

_No way…_ Tony thought just as he realized what song it was. As the male voice started to sing, "Listen baby, ain't no mountain high—", the tears that Tony had been holding back suddenly started to drip out of his eyes, and as the song continued to play he began to softly join in song.

"…To keep me from getting to you, babe." He was able to sing before his emotions took full reign. Falling against the counter, he banged his fists onto the surface and began to curse himself for being such an idiot.

_Damn it, Tim, you're the only possible person that could turn me into such a sap! _He thought, unaware of just how their relationship had really been affecting his emotions. _But you know what, I was being so insensitive before. Maybe if I had actually given my 'great idea' an ounce of rational thought then I wouldn't have given you this confusion or unnecessary pain. I **am** ready for our relationship, and I **do** love you…_ His eyes quickly drifted shut, and he began to seriously think about what McGee had told him to. Before he knew what was about to happen, Tony faded into a daze.

...

_Tim? Are…are you there?_ Tony wondered as his eyes began to open. He groaned and rolled his head over before pushing himself up off the counter, stretching his arms into the air. He then glanced around the room, discovering himself to be the only one in it.

_Wait a minute._ Tony thought as he staggered towards the other side of the room. Glancing out the door and down the hallway, he called out, "McGee?" Not getting any response, Tony sighed and went back into the kitchen.

_Great. Is he still on his walk, or is he just not wanting to hear me right now?_ He asked himself while scanning over the empty room. Suddenly he froze, and a sour taste filled his mouth. His eyes grew wide as they gazed out the window, and Tony didn't want to believe what he saw.

_If McGee is still out there…then how is he going to find his way back here?_ Tony thought, his attention still glued to the next wave of snow that was falling thickly outside. He instinctively dashed from room to room all over the mansion, breathing heavily as he entered the final room that also didn't have McGee in it.

_I've got to find him. I've got to go and bring him back here before he gets stuck in the aftermath of an avalanche or stumbles into a ravine or gets attacked by a bear! _Tony frantically thought as he fumbled to put his coat on. He quickly put on a hat, gloves, and a scarf before stuffing his feet onto a pair of snowshoes. Grabbing the second pair to hopefully give McGee when he found him, Tony then tore the front door open and was physically knocked backwards a couple of steps by the gust of wind and snow. Gritting his teeth, he pushed his way out of the house and yanked the heavy door shut behind him.

_If I'm lucky, then maybe it just started snowing a few minutes ago and I'll still be able to see which direction McGee's footprints go._ Tony assumed. To his delight, he was just capable of seeing a few round indents in the snow leading East of the mansion. Not wanting to waste any time, he stumbled down the stairs and plopped into the snow, squinting and doing his best to gaze ahead at the fairly dense woods that the tracks lead towards.

He bit down hard on his lip, afraid of all the possible fates that could have already taken McGee's life. Not wanting to dwell too long on the negative, Tony took in a deep breath to slightly calm his mind. With a final glance over his shoulder at the mansion and two sets of crossed fingers, he took a long step forward and began his trek to find McGee.

"Not even this shitty weather can keep me from getting to you, _babe_…"

...

_The next chapter involves:_

_-Tony finding McGee, but not in the condition he had hoped_

_-Tony's valuable ability to read the sky_

_-A phone call to Gibbs_


	11. Problems and solutions

So you're all aware, this chapter starts off right with McGee when he goes out of the house to let Tony think. In other words, this chapter starts off a little before the end of the previous chapter and then goes on from there.

_Chapter Eleven_

...

_It wasn't even technically a fight, and yet I'm going out by myself to leave him to think._ McGee thought as he opened his eyes and steadily released his grip on the door, allowing it to shut on its own. Turning around to face the blanket of untouched snow, he exhaled and watched as his breath became a momentarily visible cloud. It quickly melted into the air, and he then walked down the few stairs onto the covered ground.

_It's kind of amusing how Tony and I are, actually. Instead of screaming our issues at each other like a lot of guys do or simply moping around like a blob until one of us somehow figures it out, we banter and skirmish our words like an old married couple. _The rapid crunching sound underneath his shoes started to create a steady rhythm, and after a glance up to make sure he was heading into the woods his attention soon faded back into his thoughts.

_I mean, I guess it's a good thing. If we didn't have disagreements and arguments the way that we do, then things would become even more complicated. Which, all things considered, sounds pretty accurate at the moment. _McGee kept his focus elsewhere, not even noticing that little white flakes were beginning to drift down from the sky.

_Just imagine what we could be like in ten years, assuming that we're still together. _He glanced up just in time to notice a fallen log, and he paused for a moment to climb over it. Thrusting his hands into his pockets for extra warmth, he then continued strolling. _I could picture it now. Tony and I would arrive home after a long day of work, we'd have a nice dinner together, maybe argue over what old TV show we want to watch while holding each other underneath a quilt…it all seems so perfectly quaint, but what am I thinking? I mean, if Tony isn't even fully secure about himself and he isn't ready yet for something long term, them perhaps me even being out on this walk is just…pointless._

Even the mental hint of that word caused a faint sting in McGee's emotions, and the corner of his lips began to curve downward. A chilling gust of wind blew past him and caused him to sniffle, and even though the snowflakes were steadily increasing in size and number he was far too preoccupied to take notice.

_Jesus, Tony, how were you able to get me all the way to this point? All the time I had spent swearing to myself to just leave you and my feelings untouched were wasted because you couldn't help yourself. You just __**had**__ to wave your charm around and captivate my full attention, while at the same time you were subconsciously falling for me yourself._ McGee furrowed his brow, realizing there was a slight tinge of anger in his thoughts. _Huh, I guess I overlooked some of my frustrations on this for too long. Or maybe it was because the perfectionist streak in me was stained once I realized that I simply didn't know everything about Tony. _A small fleck of snow landed on top of McGee's nose, giving him a frozen kiss. His hand quickly flew out of his pocket and brushed it away before sliding back into the coat.

_Even when I thought I had him all figured out, even when I honestly felt like I could work around or ignore all of his kinks, and even though again and again I promised myself not to get romantically involved, it didn't matter. I did everything by the book to avoid falling for him…_A slight smile spread across McGee's face as the recollection scanned through his mind again, and he felt his skin grow warm at just the thought of Tony.

_Ah, but then I saw him smile. Not just with his gorgeous teeth, but with his eyes...and after that I was able to see right into him. That moment changed everything for me, because then I realized that no matter what I tried to do about it, nothing could sever the attraction. The rest is history; I fell madly in love with you, Tony. __**You**__, the Anthony DiNozzo that hides underneath movie quotes and sarcastic jokes to avoid being burned while at the same time just __**begging**__ for somebody to pry you open and for you to call your own. _He thought, a light smirk involuntarily appearing on his face.

_The same Anthony DiNozzo that changed relationships as often as he took a breath is now the one that altered the way I look at the world. _McGee suddenly stopped, standing perfectly still. He took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly, the warm air hovering in the wind like a thin sheet before being vaporized. _Who would've thought that way up here in the almost forgotten part of Montana something as big as this could have happened? It certainly wasn't the first place I pictured us spending time as a couple, but it sure is one of the most beautiful. _

He tilted his head up to look at the sky, but since he had been thinking so intensely and hadn't noticed the weather the sight of a steady snowfall shocked him. Blinking a few times to make sure he wasn't seeing things, McGee then quickly looked around where he stood and came face to face with several trees that he couldn't remember seeing.

_Wait a second, where am I? I've never been in this part of the woods before. _He turned around to face the direction that he came from and instantly glanced at the ground, barely able to notice a faint outline of where his shoeprints had been. _Oh shit. I was so focused on my own thoughts that I didn't pay any attention to where I was actually walking! _McGee's eyes widened as he rapidly looked from left to right, searching in vain for something familiar. The unexpected second snowfall had covered almost everything in another layer of white, which caused a lump to form in his throat.

_**Damn it**__! This isn't funny. How could I have been such a moron? I'm much smarter then this, although I should have known that my mind wouldn't focus on anything else once I start thinking about Tony. _

McGee sighed and forcefully rubbed his forehead. _There's no telling what kind of dangers are on a mountainside in winter. An avalanche could happen, although at this altitude I don't know how common they are. The wildlife might get hungry and find me easy prey, or if I'm outside long enough hypothermia could affect me…_ He bit on his lip and began to pace in a small circle, mentally going over his options.

_Its' been said that when you get lost you should stay in one place so that it's easier for people to find you._ He pushed aside the fabric of his sleeve and glanced at his watch. _Okay, so I've been gone for thirty minutes. Nevertheless, Tony will probably search for me soon if not right now because of the weather change. How deep into the woods could I have wandered, anyways?_ McGee did a quick mental estimation, and the answer caused him to slump forward. _Assuming I walked at an average pace in a straight direction, I could be two miles in if not more. _He continued to turn in little circles, his focus still moving from the ground to the trees.

There was an unexpected spot of darkness in the corner of his eye, and he instantly jerked back to see what it was. Squinting a bit, he gazed in its direction for several seconds. _Is…is that a small cave?_ McGee blinked hard twice before looking again, but it remained the same. _It is! Oh, perfect timing._ He thought, smirking at the newfound hope. _I can just wait in there for Tony to find me. It appears little enough to not worry about a bear being inside, and yet it seems large enough for me to be totally out of the wind._

With a quick nod and a glance over his shoulders, he headed towards the cave. After he took a few steps, there were some sudden cracking and crunching sounds that made him jump. His head snapped up in its direction, and a moment later he was chuckling softly at himself for being so on edge.

_It's just a family of squirrels, nothing to get anxious about._ He told himself as he continued walking. The rustling noises continued overhead, and McGee just ignored it.

_There's nothing a few squirrels are going to do._ His thoughts added right before an earsplitting crack and tumbling sound made him freeze in place. Just as he turned around and looked up to see what had happened, his white surroundings turned to black.

...

_I __**know**__ I'm not going crazy. _

Tony's determination kept him going against the chilling wind, his breaths getting thicker as his walking pace increased. _I __**know **__that I heard McGee's laughter a moment ago._ He trudged on forward a few more steps and then came to a stop, finding himself standing inside a large bare clearing. He sighed and rested his hands onto his hips, glancing around to figure out which way to go. _Where could you possibly be Probie? Are you trying to hide from me, or am I really this bad at finding people?_ Laughing from frustration, he shook his head.

The sudden and abrupt sound of a loud continuous crack from behind Tony startled him, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. A thunderous smash filled the air a split second later, shooting a gust of wind onto Tony's back. He held his stance against the momentary blast before turning around and coming face to face with the top of a fallen pine tree.

Blinking multiple times, he stared at it before taking a few steps away. He then released a breath he forgot he had been holding and shook his head in disbelief. "Well that was too close for comfort." He muttered. _If I had been standing just a little further back, then this thing would have been on top of me._

He tilted his head to the side and gazed in the direction that it fell from, looking all the way down to its rotted out roots. Tony's brow furrowed slightly from curiosity, and he began to walk towards the base.

_Maybe its just me, but do all old and rotten trees just spontaneously fall over?_ He bent over and briefly examined the gnarled and broken chunks of wood that had sprayed themselves over the surrounding ground. Glancing over the entire space, Tony saw that several branches had fallen first in the opposite way that the tree had landed, and there were several indents in the ground that pointed to it first having leaned that way.

Shivering slightly from the cold, he glanced down at the snowshoes in his hand before the ones on his feet. _If all the trees in this region are old, then what are the chances of something similar having happened to McGee? _He gritted his teeth and forcefully shook his head. _It's my own damned fault that he came out here in the first place._

Just as Tony was about to turn around and continue searching elsewhere, his eyes came to rest on a large mound of snow and branches. Trailing the debris back to the tree, he mentally pieced the scene together.

_The decayed tree must've been unable to support itself against all this snow…so it looks like first a large section of it broke off over there, which placed the extra snow right on top of it. I guess after that weight was gone, its other side became heavier and ultimately put it right in my face. _

Tony rubbed his chin and glanced back to the snow pile, gazing at it intently for a moment. As he kept looking at it, something seemed out of place, and he then noticed something quite unexpected peeking out of it at the bottom.

_Is that a shoe I see sticking out of it?_ He thought, stepping closer. Tony soon realized that it was a dressier type of shoe, and it appeared oddly familiar to him.

_Now what's a shoe doing out here? Huh, it kind of looks like the ones McGee likes to wear…_

Right as that thought passed through Tony's brain, the shoe moved somewhat. He took a half step backwards from the sudden action, and he was able to hear a muffled voice from inside the snow.

Tony felt his eyes bulge out of his head so strongly from alarm that he thought they might pop out all together. His jaw dropped open, and it took him a few muted tries before he was able to say anything at all.

"McGee?" He squeaked out, shocked at the realization of what was happening. The shoe suddenly froze in place, then rapidly moved up and down as if to nod.

Faster then the bullet from a gun, Tony's adrenaline clicked into overdrive. He screamed McGee's name as he dropped the extra snowshoes and dashed forward, starting to tear through all of the snow and branches. As he continued shredding the mound apart, he accidentally threw some of the pieces a bit too close to his face and left several cuts on his cheeks, but he was so intent on getting to McGee that he didn't even feel the blood trickle down his skin.

Just as Tony thought he might go insane with worry, he uncovered half of McGee's face. Gasping for air, McGee pulled his head the rest of the way out and his mouth fell open to breathe.

"Oh my god…Tony." McGee choked out right when he was freed from the rest of the snow. Tony instantly trapped him in a hug, which McGee was all too happy to receive.

Wrapping his arms around Tony as tightly as he could, McGee shook his head in an overwhelmed fashion. He continued to breathe heavily for almost a full minute before he was able to speak again, and all the while Tony just rubbed his back.

"How…how could you have possibly found me? The snow erased my tracks, and this forest must span on for miles and miles all over the mountain-"

"Shut up, McGee." Tony said softly, pulling back to look him in the eye. He then abruptly shook his head and chuckled. "What the hell were you thinking? Just going out by yourself like that." He sighed before continuing, "You know, if I hadn't found you while you were still alive I never could have forgiven myself, let alone have explained it to Gibbs." Tony glanced up and pointed a finger towards the sky. "The big guy up there must like you, because I've never heard a story that involves somebody trapped in snow ending well before."

McGee sniffled and coughed a few times, covering his mouth with his hand. "I really should start taking my own advice. If I had stayed inside and thought for awhile then I never would have gotten…" He looked over his shoulder for several seconds and stared at the snow before facing Tony again. "…stuck back in there."

Tony shrugged. "Well, sure, we both definitely could've handled the situation better." He paused for a moment and lowered his voice. "But since it happened the way that it did, I don't think we'll be able to forget it."

A very faint smile formed on McGee's face. "You're right. It's not every day that you nearly get suffocated underneath a mound of snow." He reached up and touched Tony's face, transferring some of the stray blood to his fingertips. His brow furrowed slightly, and he shook his head. "Is this what happens to you when I leave you alone?"

Tony glanced down at his blood on McGee's hand and blinked before reaching up and touching his own face. He was then able to feel the slight sting of the lacerations, and he shrugged.

"I got these from those lovely branches that were on your snow pile."

McGee stared at a few of the cuts underneath Tony's eyes for a moment, and a fairly serious expression appeared on his face. "This one in particular doesn't look that great." He said, pointing to a wound near the corner of Tony's left eye. "I think I see something inside the cut itself."

"So what? It's nothing." Tony said, leaning closer to McGee's face. "Given time, my face will eventually heal_._ I'm just glad to have you back." He forcefully breathed out before pressing their lips together into one long intimate kiss.

McGee trembled a little and dusted some of the snow off his body. "It's so cold out here…"

"At least it stopped snowing." Tony put his arm around McGee's waist and pulled him close. "I can carry you back to the mansion if you'd like."

McGee's eyebrow rose slightly, and he leaned into Tony. "You know the way back?"

Tony paused for a moment. "Well…I will." He began to walk forward, grabbing up the snowshoes before pulling McGee along with him. After several dozen feet he stopped back in the clearing that he had been in and held his free hand up to the sky.

McGee watched curiously as Tony started to move his fingers about in different positions. He also mumbled some things under his breath that McGee was unable to hear, and then his hand suddenly pointed to their right.

"We should only have to go about half a mile that way." He replied, giving McGee the shoes. "Here, I brought these for you."

They broke away from each other for a moment as McGee strapped them to his feet.

"How were you able to figure out which way the mansion is?" He asked as he put his arm around Tony.

"I read a book once about life before GPS devices existed, and that spawned a bizarre interest in me to learn how to decipher the sky." Tony replied as they steadily walked together. "The first thing I did when I came outside to find you was see which direction the mansion was from your footsteps, and keeping that in mind I was able to form the basic direction that we need to go in."

McGee was rather surprised at Tony's answer, but at the same time he was glad that one of them knew where to head.

"That's interesting…I didn't think you were the type to want to learn things like that."

Tony lightly squeezed McGee's arm. "You didn't think that you were the only one that enjoyed books now, did you?" For the first time that day, a slight smile appeared on Tony's face, and seeing that gave McGee some peace.

Sooner then they thought, the dark outline of the mansion came into view, and even though it was layered with even more snow the grey brick silhouette had never looked better.

...

"_DiNozzo! Good to hear you again."_ Gibb's voice echoed through the phone that Tony had put on speaker. _"How are my two agents doing on their last full day in Montana?"_

Tony sighed quietly and glanced at McGee who was digging through a first aid kit to get something to clean up his wounds. "Well, there hasn't been a single dull moment."

"_I hope you and McGee were able plenty of rest, because as you're well aware things here get even more hectic around Christmas time." _Gibbs said.

"It's crazy to think that it's only a week away." Tony replied, holding himself still as McGee gently swiped a wet cloth across his cheeks to remove the dried blood.

"_Every year it seems to just creep up on us, doesn't it."_

"That it does." McGee added, rubbing some antibacterial cream on Tony's cuts.

"_As nice as it's been for both of you to be away, I'll be happy to get you back. The replacements I hired are starting to be a pain; Tony's substitute in particular is driving Ziva up a wall."_

Tony chuckled, and McGee just smirked as he pressed a bandage over the largest gash.

"_Be sure to relax on your flight back tomorrow, because right away there will be plenty of work for you two do get done."_

Tony watched as McGee unwrapped a sixth bandage. "Sure thing, boss."

"_I'll see you then."_ The line went dead, and McGee reached over and pressed it off. Just as he was about to place the next bandage, Tony's hand grabbed his. Their eyes locked together and remained motionless for awhile, and then Tony took a deep breath.

"I'm really sorry about earlier." He began, glancing away for a moment. "I…I wasn't thinking straight."

McGee shook his head. "Tony, it's alright. Even though I don't understand why you were being that way, I know you enough to not take everything quite as seriously as I normally would."

He pulled his hand away for a moment and stuck the bandage on another cut, and just before he was going to grab a final one he paused from what Tony said next.

"I was so mindlessly afraid of messing up our relationship that all I found myself wanting to focus on was doing absolutely nothing." Tony said softly. "Now that I've taken your advice and spent time actually thinking about myself, I realize what a complete idiot I am."

McGee turned around and gazed at Tony for a moment before saying anything. "You are not an idiot. You just hadn't fully thought about what you were doing."

Tony stepped closer and grabbed his hands again. "Alright, so I was temporarily an idiot. The point is that after I spent a while in thought, I realized something." His eyes narrowed slightly but remained on McGee. "After you left the room earlier today, I just…fell apart. Even though I tried to tell myself that I was hopeless and you were too good for me, I couldn't stand the idea of separating myself from you like that. Your growing relationship with me has become too valuable and important to just walk away from, and I know that if it were to end I couldn't function."

McGee had been listening intently to what Tony had said, and all the while a grin on his face had gotten wider and wider. "You keep on saying the word 'I' when you know that it wasn't all your doing. Maybe if I hadn't said so much so soon you wouldn't have freaked out or felt smothered."

Tony sighed and glanced away. "Whatever the case was, I just wanted you to know that I'm sorry."

McGee slowly nodded his head. "Thank you for apologizing." Leaning forward, he gave Tony a kiss before turning around to put away the supplies from the first aid kit.

Tony's eyes remained on McGee the entire time, and each of his movements made Tony feel indescribable bliss. An idea suddenly entered his head, and he took a minute to let it process. Clearing his throat, he then asked, "Hey Probie, do you remember when you told me about the dream you had where we moved in together?"

McGee stopped what he was doing for a second. "Yes, what makes you ask?"

Tony casually stepped forward and placed his hands onto McGee's hips, getting close enough to press his lips against his neck.

"If you're still comfortable with the idea, can I move in with you?"

McGee almost didn't believe what he heard. Glancing over his shoulder, he asked, "Would you seriously want to?"

Tony laughed quietly. "Sure, I think I might be ready to give it a whirl." Still in his grip, McGee turned around to face him with a broad smile. "Well then, you already know my answer."

Tony reached up and lightly brushed his hands over McGee's chest. "Perfect. Now I'll have even more room for all of my stuff."

McGee playfully frowned and pushed Tony away from him, shaking his head. "I see how it is. You just want to move in with me because my apartment is twice the size of yours."

"No, but it is a great bargain. I not only get to spend nearly all of my time with you, but there's added space for the stuff I've got in boxes in my closet."

McGee chuckled while he closed the first aid kit, and he was overjoyed to hear Tony's humor returning to normal.

_Even when you aren't trying to be, you're just way too adorable._

...

_The next chapter involves:_

_-Tony and McGee heading back to NCIS_

_-Tony making his relationship with McGee obvious_

_-An intense conversation between Tony and Gibbs_

**Please review!**


	12. Reality, Part One

_Chapter Twelve_

...

McGee gazed out the second story window of the library, his eyes fixated on the last mountain sunset that he would witness for awhile. Since the mansion was up in elevation, he was able to see clear over the alpine tree line that seemed to stretch on forever across the entire horizon. Over the tops of the distant peaks and ridges, the sun itself was far beyond the center of the sky and was drifting down towards the edge of the Earth. As it dipped behind the mountains its color scheme radiated the richest copper, crimson, and mauve tones that he had ever seen before. Decadently laced along in a border like fashion were vibrant orange and gold hues that reminded McGee of the beginnings of fall, even though Christmas was only a week off.

_It almost makes you never want to leave._ McGee thought, feeling the distant sunbeams brush their warmth against his skin. His lips curled up in a contented grin, and after crossing his arms he stepped close enough to the glass for his breath to leave a silvery white glaze. As it slowly started to fade away, McGee tilted his head slightly and stared right through it, enjoying the frosted tinge that it gave to the vivid sunset.

The steady beat of footsteps filled the air, growing closer with every second. "There you are, Probie." Tony's voice said gently from behind. McGee heard more footsteps before feeling two hands embrace over his in a half backwards hug. Tony's cold cheek pressed against McGee's, and the air that suddenly embraced him was fresh, crisp, and arctic.

"I wondered where you'd run off to." Tony said, lightly squeezing McGee. "I just spent the past twenty minutes outside stuffing all of our things back into the SUV, dusting off the windows, and tightening the chains on the tires. We've got to start heading to the airport soon."

McGee let out a faint sigh. "I would've helped, but between looking over all the old books in this room for the last time and watching the sun go down over those mountains I must've lost track of time."

"It's too bad there isn't more space in our luggage, because then I would gladly let you take them all." Tony said. He released McGee and moved over to his side, gently leaning himself against the nearby bookshelf. He wordlessly gazed out the window for a few moments, staring at the same sunset that McGee had been watching.

"Oh wow," He whispered. "Now that's something that we don't have back in D.C."

McGee slowly shook his head. "I think I'm going to miss this place one we're back in the big city."

Tony glanced over at him. "Yeah, me too. But think of it this way, we can come back here whenever we'd like."

McGee blinked a few times before looking at Tony. "I thought you were going to sell this mansion after we had cleaned it all up."

Tony shrugged. "Well that might have been my original plan, but things changed." He held out his hand and dusted his fingers against McGee's. "I don't think I could bring myself to sell it off now. It's not like I need the money or anything, I was originally just going to get rid of it because I thought that it might be in really crappy shape or stuck in a bad location."

McGee chuckled. "It's _really_ secluded though. It took almost an hour to drive up here from some tiny town of about four hundred people."

"Sure it's quite far away from modern civilization, but look at this panoramic view." He replied, motioning towards the window. "It doesn't get much better then this."

McGee grabbed Tony's dangling fingers and intertwined them with his own. "You know what sounds good for a next vacation, though? Renting out a beach house right along the ocean."

Tony smiled and moaned quietly. "Wishful thinking, Probalicious." He replied. "It's only the middle of December, and I used up the rest of my vacation for awhile. I'm just glad that even with all the new snow on the roads it seems decent enough for us to drive on tonight, assuming that our chains hold up."

McGee shrugged and glanced away for a moment. "I guess some movies and extravagant desserts can be decent replacements until you get some more time off."

Tony nodded and looked down at his watch, his happy expression fading a little. "Hey, we've got to head out now if we plan on making it to the airport in time for our ten o'clock flight and a quick dinner somewhere." He gazed back up to look at McGee, but instead he just saw the window. Blinking a few times, his attention then was drawn to the light click of shoes on the hardwood flooring behind him. He turned around and his eyes came to rest on McGee a few feet away, standing at the edge of the stairs.

"If we don't go right now, I know I won't be able to leave this library behind." McGee said, motioning up and down to the additional stories of the room.

Tony paused for a moment, taking a half step forward. "Point made." He replied, stealing one final glance at the sunset before following McGee.

The two of them gathered up a few last items before Tony bolted the front door shut. They then got into the car, and as Tony stuck his key into the engine the abrasive sound of the motor erased the quiet serenity of the mountain. With a long and silent last look over the mansion, he backed up the SUV and began their descending drive into the valley.

...

_The next day_

...

"You are back!" Ziva said with obvious cheer, rushing over to Tony and McGee as they entered the building. She promptly went over to both of them and nodded at each.

"I am _very_ glad to see both of you again." She said, her somewhat friendly expression instantly switching to frustration as she motioned behind her. "The two idiots that were your stand-ins knew everything about nothing." Loudly tapping her foot a few times, her eyebrow started to raise slightly as she glanced from Tony to McGee. "I was beginning to think of many possible ways that I could have killed your replacements and made it look like an accident."

Tony blinked a few times and looked over at McGee. "Well then, it's probably a good thing we returned before that happened."

Ziva shook her head in agreement a few times and then stepped to the side, leaving enough room for both men to go to their desks.

Tony set down his briefcase and pulled out his chair, removing his coat and placing it over the back. Glancing at McGee, their eyes met for a few seconds before Tony looked away.

_Now that we're back at NCIS, we should probably keep our relationship subtle._ He reminded himself, shuffling a few papers on his desk to create a distraction.

Ziva's attention was still on Tony, and her gaze became narrower as she moved closer to him. When he glanced up, she had both of her hands propped on the sides of his desk and she was leaning down slightly, her eyes scrutinizing his face.

Wearing a curious expression, Ziva pointed to the numerous unbandaged cuts in Tony's skin. "How did all of this happen?"

Tony sighed and resisted the urge to look at McGee again. "McGee got himself trapped in a massive pile of snow and branches, and this was what I got for saving him."

Ziva turned her head away for a moment and stared silently at McGee before looking back at Tony. "Uh huh…somehow I do not picture McGee to be the type that puts himself anywhere near a place that involves anything avoidably dangerous." She replied. "Did you say that your face was sliced by these branches? Or maybe it was the snow that attacked you."

Tony rolled his eyes and placed a file into his drawer. Quietly clearing his throat, he stared straight at Ziva. "You're right, McGee was too busy on his little laptop to even step _foot_ outside." He sarcastically replied. Motioning all over his face with both of his hands, he added, "I got this from shaving."

Ziva appeared to believe that much easier then the truth. "You became like the abdominal snowman and grew hair all over your face?"

Tony's gaze grew thinner. "It's the **abominable** snowman, and his hair covered his entire body."

Ziva shrugged. "I still cannot understand why you would shave all of your face."

Tony could feel McGee staring at him, and he snuck a quick glance. "Well…maybe I wanted to try something new for once." He added with slightly less sarcasm.

Ziva snorted and was about to respond, but suddenly Gibbs walked in and interrupted. "Welcome back, boys." He announced, dropping a stack of files onto McGee's desk. "I assume that Ziva has already made it clear that you were heavily missed." Gibbs said, putting another stack onto the corner of Tony's desk.

Tony breathed a short sigh of relief. "Hey there, boss. Where's Abby?"

Gibbs took a sip from the coffee mug in his hand. "She's out on a lunch break right now." Looking over at McGee, he added, "Why don't you guys go ahead and take a half hour to get yourselves situated? I'm sure you could use the time to sort through this new paperwork. Afterwards I'll clue you in on what has been going on around here these past three weeks, unless Ziva already did."

Tony quickly nodded his head and licked his lips, the strong aroma of Gibbs' coffee tickling his nose.

"Sounds like a plan." He replied to Gibbs, who nodded once and headed back in the direction that he came. Ziva shot a glance at Tony, but remained silent and slipped back towards her desk.

Tony stood still for a moment, looking up at the clock on the far wall. The lingering scent of the coffee was taunting him, and he suddenly had a craving for a cup himself. He then walked over to the front of McGee's desk and paused, and McGee almost instantly looked up at him.

"Do you want me to get you something to drink?" Tony asked. "I'm about to go grab myself a quick coffee, and I thought maybe if you wanted something I could just get it for you."

McGee stared at him for a second, a faint smirk appearing on his face. "Sure, get me the same as you."

Tony patted his hand on the desk and walked off, Ziva watching in amusement. She kept her gaze on Tony until he disappeared around a corner, and then she glanced at McGee.

"I wouldn't drink anything that Tony gave me if I were you." She said, stapling a few things together. McGee shrugged, but said nothing.

_It's better if she doesn't know anything._ He thought, beginning to type on his keyboard.

Tony came back a couple of minutes later, one green and one orange mug in each of his hands. Ziva locked her eyes on him again, but kept her head tilted elsewhere so her stare would not be noticed.

_Something fishy is going on here._ She thought, watching as Tony handed the green mug off to McGee. _It is unusual for Tony to bring McGee anything at all, really. He is usually the one mooching off of others. Then again, knowing him, he probably put some sort of…surprise in his beverage._

McGee slowly took a drink of the steaming coffee before setting it onto a nearby coaster. "It's perfect, thanks."

Tony put his hands into his pockets and nodded. "Good, good…it's freshly brewed." He replied, still gazing at McGee.

Ziva watched in anticipation for some sort of dramatic reaction from McGee, but nothing happened. She frowned slightly and chewed on her bottom lip, starting to become confused.

Tony began to hum quietly to himself, setting his mug down on the corner of his desk. He then tried to get back into his routine tasks, but all he found himself thinking about was McGee.

_Damn it, Probie, get out of my head!_ Tony told himself, forcefully stuffing some folders and a pen into a drawer. _I can't possibly work under these conditions._ He sighed and looked back at McGee, who was contentedly putting some new information on his computer. Without realizing it, Tony's lips began to form a small pout. _How come __**he's**__ perfectly capable of getting right into everything and I'm only able to sit here and watch the-_

"Tony, if you need something then you should look in your center top drawer." McGee called over to him, breaking him from a direct stare. Tony blinked several times and continued gazing at McGee before pulling himself back to look at his desk.

_What is he talking about?_ Tony wondered, opening up the drawer McGee had implied. He shifted around some stray items, but at first found nothing out of the ordinary. Off in the corner, his hand came to rest on an unfamiliar blue envelope. He then pulled it out and carefully ripped it open, two strips of paper falling into his lap. Setting down the torn envelope, he grabbed the pieces and read them.

_Two tickets for a Coldplay concert! McGee was telling me all about them on the flight back._ He thought, beginning to smile. Getting up to his feet, he set both the stubs onto his desk before walking over to McGee.

"Thanks for the tickets, Probie." He said, sitting himself on the side of the desk. McGee glanced up from his computer and smiled briefly. "You're welcome."

Tony sighed gently and looked away, getting back to his feet. _Now just walk away and keep doing what you're supposed to._ He told himself while continuing to stand in place. Although he kept glancing around to find a reason to move, his attention kept finding a way back to McGee.

_He's like a magnetic field. I can't do anything with him right here._ Tony casually took a step closer, but quickly found a paperweight to fidget with. Slowly he turned his head and gazed at McGee's side profile, observing the intensity that filled his eyes as he watched the computer screen. He scooted his chair slightly away from Tony and propped his elbow onto his desk.

_I'm going to stop watching him._ Tony told himself. He was about to look away when suddenly McGee's face began to contort, forming somewhat of a smirk.

_**Aargh**__! Why does he have to make such cute expressions?_ Tony bit down on his lip and silently made a fist. _He should know by now that it makes me want to kiss him. _Breathing softly through his nose, he lightly rapped his fingers against the metal surface of the paperweight. He then reached out to put it back, and right after he let it go an idea entered his mind.

_You know, except for Ziva everybody seems to be out on break._ Tony thought, acting casual as he glanced around the office before letting his gaze pass over McGee.

_I bet if I were quick enough, I could sneak a kiss and nobody would notice. Maybe after that I would be able to get something done._

Tony mentally applauded what he thought to be logical reasoning, and he shifted himself closer to McGee. When he was near enough, he leaned forward slightly. Out of the corner of McGee's eye, he could see that Tony wasn't all that far away. Pausing for a moment, he then started to turn his head to look at him. "Tony, don't you have-"

Tony placed his hand on the side of McGee's face and pulled him into a short, sweet, and simplistic kiss. Even though it sent McGee's mind in a dozen directions at once, he was so surprised from it that he had no immediate reaction.

The moment after Tony pulled himself back, McGee could feel his face growing warm and red. "Why did you just do that here?" McGee quietly snapped, pretending to be fixing his tie while glancing elsewhere. Tony chuckled softly and shook his head. Narrowing his gaze, he replied, "I tried being good, I _really_ did, but I guess I'm just not supposed to be." He watched McGee begin to distractedly click the computer's mouse around several times, doing his best not to glance at him. Tony leaned forward again and in a lower voice added, "Quite frankly, my dear Probalicious, I don't give a damn. Lighten up a bit, McNervous. Maybe now I'll actually be able to focus on what I'm supposed to."

Ziva began to snicker, and Tony and McGee both looked over at her. "Alright, that was a good one!" She said, shaking her head and pointing at Tony. "That was even better then what I was expecting you to do with his coffee."

Wearing a puzzled expression, Tony glanced at McGee, who remained a deep shade of red.

Ziva continued chuckling at them, still thinking that Tony's action was a joke. "Remember rule twelve, you two." She said, pointing a finger and imitating the sternness of Gibbs.

Tony paused for a moment, attempting to process several things at once. He then turned to face her completely and tilted his head to the side.

_Alright, this isn't bad. She thinks I was just fooling around. I can play off that._

Tony looked at her for a moment before flashing a wide smile. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and placed them on his hips, leaning slightly in her direction. "Seriously Ziva, Gibbs' rule twelve can just _stick_ it." He replied, enunciating each word with an extra perky tone.

Someone from behind him suddenly cleared their throat. "Stick it where, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, his voice sounding strong.

A huge lump formed in Tony's throat, and he gulped it down at the same time that his eye twitched. _Oh shit._ He thought, slowly turning around. Gibbs' arms were folded tight and the expression he wore was a blend of disappointment and restrained astonishment. His eyebrow suddenly rose and fell, and he exhaled loud enough to be heard.

Ziva opened her mouth to say something, but Gibbs shook his head. "No need to explain, Ziva. I saw the whole thing." Giving Tony a firm look, he motioned with a single nod for him to follow. "Come with me, DiNozzo. We have plenty to talk about."

Gibbs then glanced over at McGee, who was wide eyed and blushing. "You'll be next." He said, muttering something to himself before turning around and heading towards his office. Tony sighed and began to follow, but he quickly gazed at McGee and mouthed, 'Oops!' before catching up to him.

After observing the serious tone of Gibbs' voice and the way that Tony and McGee had looked at each other, Ziva then realized that it hadn't been a joke. She was stunned silent, and her jaw fell open so abruptly that McGee thought he heard it land on the floor.

...

_Continued in the next chapter…_


	13. Reality, Part Two

_Chapter Thirteen_

...

Tony remained silent as he entered Gibbs new private office, and with as little movement as possible he glanced around the space. The walls were a deep shade of green that had a calming presence about them, and neatly covering a portion of the far one were several of Gibbs' personal awards and diplomas that he had racked up over the years. There were three lone windows, wider then they were long, that stretched across the top wall which stood behind a slate grey desk. Glistening on the top and center of it was Gibbs' gold covered name plate, which was held up by a small and dark colored wooden frame. A total of four chairs were in the room; a tall one behind his desk, a smaller one in front of it, and two off in the corners that gave the appearance of never being used.

_Its' got a nicer feel then I remember._ Tony thought. _I wonder if Gibbs did that on purpose._ He slowly stepped forward, and the muffled sound of a chuckle attracted his attention.

"You seem pretty calm for a guy that just kissed his coworker when he was supposed to be doing his job." Gibbs commented, turning himself around and placing his mug onto his desk in one smooth motion. With a quick glance back, he added, "Now why might that be?"

Tony wanted to shrug, but he knew that it wouldn't be a good idea. Instead he opened his mouth to give a response, but right as he did there wasn't a single explanation that came to mind. Gibbs waited another moment before motioning with his hand in the direction of a chair.

"Take a seat, DiNozzo." He said, watching as Tony moved towards his desk and seated himself there. Gibbs approached his own chair and pulled it out, sitting down immediately.

The room remained noiseless, Gibbs just looking at Tony with an unreadable expression. Beginning to grow a little anxious, Tony glanced down at the floor. When he lifted his head, Gibbs was still staring at him in the same way as before. It brought up a nervous chuckle in Tony, and he broke the quiet atmosphere.

"You don't think it was a joke?" He asked, wanting to know what his boss was thinking.

Gibbs' shoulders raised a little, and he brusquely cleared his throat. "Was it?"

Tony didn't move. For whatever reason he found himself unable to respond with his typical playful remarks, and so he simply said nothing.

Gibbs scooted his chair into his desk and rested his arms on top of it, the hushed noise of his breath the only sound for several seconds. His gaze drifted away for a moment, relieving Tony of some tension, before going back onto him with the same intensity.

"You might think that all of those little things that you say or do have gone unnoticed, but not by me." Gibbs said with an almost undetectable smirk. "I keep myself very aware of everything that my agents are doing."

Tony sighed as quietly as he could, and Gibbs continued talking. "DiNozzo, I'm going to start out with a very basic question." He began, leaning forward a little bit more. "How long have you had feelings for McGee?"

Tony's eyes widened, and the way that his mouth opened up made his split second laugh sound more like a concentrated giggle. "How-what-what kind of question is that?" He asked, a defensive tone in his voice.

Gibbs reached over for his mug and took a short drink. "I've been suspecting something for awhile now." He said, putting his coffee back where it was. "Once you asked me to take three weeks of vacation time off with McGee it was enough of a conclusion in my mind."

Tony's shoulders slumped a little, and he wondered if his cheeks were getting pink. He shifted himself in his seat, bringing his legs fairly close together and resting his elbows onto his thighs. "You…suspected from the beginning?" He inquired, not having been fully aware of just how keen his boss was.

Gibbs laughed at Tony's question for a few seconds. "Well, it's pretty hard not to notice one of your best agents when they're spending all of their work time gazing and drooling over somebody else nearby."

Tony nodded slowly once, the realization that Gibbs had been aware of his feelings towards McGee strangely causing him to relax a bit rather then become even more uptight. "Ahh..." He replied, letting several thoughts sink in while his gaze drifted to the floor. "Was I really drooling at one point?" He asked, half serious.

Gibbs reached down and opened a drawer, pulling out a manila folder. He placed it next to him on the desk and removed a set of papers. Holding them towards Tony, a few spots that appeared to be wet stood out on the pages.

"This is a report that you gave to me just over a month ago." Gibbs said before putting it back into the folder. "There are a handful of other things that you also gave me with 'unknown' spots on them as well." He pushed it to the corner of his desk and looked back at Tony, his face revealing that he was growing increasingly uneasy.

"Look, boss, I…" Tony began, looking down at his hands. "What's going on here is-" He paused to collect his thoughts and glance back up at Gibbs. "I didn't know anything about my inheritance until I received that notice in the mail. It was _after_ that that I got the idea about taking time off with McGee." He said, letting his eyes drift from Gibbs onto the floor by his shoes. "My original plan was just for him to help me clean it up and…uh, spend some time getting to know each other better." He glanced up at his boss, his face remaining stern. Tony brought himself to shrug, and then he concluded by saying, "I originally didn't arrange the trip for any other reason."

_How we ended up honestly came as a surprise to me._ Tony thought to himself. _I wasn't planning on McGee and I becoming a couple, it's just something that developed as we became closer friends._

"Does that mean you weren't expecting or hoping for any sort of…more intimate relationship developing?" Gibbs asked, lightly folding his arms. "And what exactly gave you the idea in the first place that McGee might be willing for something other then what you were prior to the trip?"

Tony swallowed another lump in his throat. "Um...well that's kind of hard to explain." He said. "It wasn't what I was necessarily _intending_…"

Gibbs started to look a little flustered, several small furrowed lines appearing on his forehead. He stared at Tony long and hard before he replied, "I'm only going to ask this once, and God help you escape me if I find out you lied." He paused for a moment and uncrossed his arms, resting his hands neatly next to each other. As calmly as he was able to, he asked, "As of right now, are you and McGee together?"

Tony immediately wished that a hole in the Earth would somehow appear and swallow him whole. He crossed his legs and leaned his back against the chair, playing with his thumbs as a temporary escape. Breathing deeply, he continued watching his fingers but could feel the hard stare from his boss piercing into his flesh, eagerly waiting for a response. He then stopped fidgeting and forced his hands to relax.

_If I don't tell him the truth, he'll tear me to shreds. However if I __**do**__ tell him the truth, it's pretty much a guarantee that I'll either be switched to another team or even fired._ He grimaced at the thought of either outcome, but knew that things would be slightly easier if he just admitted the truth to Gibbs.

"Yeah...we are." Tony said quietly, continuing to stare down before working up enough courage to look at his boss again.

Gibbs released a long and heavy sigh, glancing over at something on his desk once or twice. "DiNozzo, you've put me in a really bad position." He began. "The team can't afford to lose such a good agent, and yet I can't just let whatever this is between you and McGee go untouched." He tilted his head and shook it in puzzlement. "At the same time I also need to ask myself if what you feel towards McGee is genuine or just some sort of a phase."

Tony was somewhat confused at Gibbs' latter statement. "What do you mean by that?"

Gibbs moved a nearby pencil holder away from him. "I'm just saying that maybe your status with him is just another temporary relationship." He said. "If that were to be the case, I wouldn't be terribly surprised."

Tony almost felt offended that Gibbs had said what he did. "And what if I told you that he means a lot to me?" He asked, uncrossing his legs.

Gibbs looked somewhat conflicted by Tony's question. He waited a moment before replying, "Then I would have to find a different team for you."

Tony slowly nodded his head, trying to think of some possible way to make everything work. As he was processing it all at once, a noticeable scowl came onto his face. Even though Tony's gaze was on something else, Gibbs' attention hadn't shifted from him in the slightest.

"I established 'rule twelve' for a very good reason, Tony. Its' job is to protect each member of the team and preserve a professional atmosphere between all agents." Gibbs said, scooting his chair back slightly. "When people that are in a relationship are around each other, they have the tendency to want to be talking to and be near that person. Now if these people are _agents_, think how dangerous that could be on a case. They could get distracted with each other and not only perform their tasks poorly, but they could even suffer an injury."

Tony sighed and nodded. "Yeah, that does make sense…" He began, shifting in his seat. "But isn't there _some_ way you could just overlook it for awhile?"

Gibbs' eyebrow instantly rose. "Based on what you did today, I don't think that's a possibility."

"Couldn't I just-"

"To be honest, Tony, I think that you're just toying with him, and for whatever reason you won't admit to it." Gibbs interrupted. "I bet that by this time next week you won't even be looking at him."

Tony gazed right at his boss, his words starting to agitate him. Suddenly he stood up and was silent for several moments before he chuckled quietly. He then reached up and massaged his forehead, temporarily closing his eyes.

"You know what, on second thought I'll make this easy for you." He began. "Go ahead and move me to another team or whatever you'd like, because I don't want work to be the thing that comes between me and McGee." He tossed his hands into the air in a nonchalant fashion and shook his head. "If that's what it takes for me to be able to stay with him, then that's that."

Gibbs was silent for nearly a full minute. He then pushed his chair back and got up, sauntering over to Tony. He stopped close enough to him to gaze intently into both of his eyes, and for a short while he glanced back and forth between them.

"That was a testing statement I made, DiNozzo." He replied. "I wanted to see what would happen if I pushed your buttons, and you didn't fail to surprise me. I was expecting you to rush off and call your relationship with him quits."

Tony's eyes narrowed somewhat, and a very small grin appeared on his face. "_Really_?"

Gibbs just shrugged. "I wanted to check and be certain that you weren't just playing charades. Of course now that leads me back to square one; what to do about your jobs and relationship."

Tony wanted to smack himself in the head for not being aware of Gibbs' numerous techniques, but he knew that sometime soon he'd be receiving plenty of head slaps from him. Biting down on a portion of his lip, Tony then had an idea.

"Isn't there some sort of way you could just…give us a test run?" He asked, hoping that his thought might be at least considered. Gibbs glanced away and released a long sigh before crossing his arms. "A test run?"

"Maybe if we were just given another chance, we could show you that we're capable of handling our relationship in the workplace in a professional manner."

Gibbs seemed completely uninterested in his statement, and Tony's optimism began to fade. His boss looked away from him and appeared to be thinking about something, but his overall expression wasn't giving anything away.

"DiNozzo, if I gave you some leash you would probably end up choking me with it." He responded, finally glancing back at him. "However, what I _really_ don't like is the idea of one of you not being here tomorrow when an important case is bound to arise."

Tony paused. "Tomorrow's the day before Christmas Eve, isn't it?"

Gibbs nodded. "One of the days when the most criminal activity happens." He said, uncrossing his arms. Still gazing at Tony, he added, "I almost hate to do this, but I guess I've got no choice."

Tony's gaze fell downward and he nodded his heavy head. "You've got to follow the set rules, I guess." He replied, feeling fairly sad at the thought of not coming in to work the next morning.

"I expect that when said case _does_ come in tomorrow, you and McGee will be able to deal appropriately with each other."

Tony froze, but then snapped his head back up. "What?"

"You've got one more chance to prove yourselves, DiNozzo." He said, pushing his hands into his pockets. "Giving you two another day to figure things out might be the dumbest thing I've done all year, but I'd rather not be missing both of you when I'll need you the most." His eyebrow slid up a little, and he added, "And there better be no more affection, no more physical contact, and no talking about things not pertaining to your jobs. If I see or hear of you two not behaving in a professional manner, then I'll kick your asses out the door."

Tony's mind went numb for a moment, nearly unable to believe what his boss had just said. He stared straight at Gibbs, but the faint gleam in his eyes only reassured what he had said.

"Are you seriously going to do that?" He finally asked, some hope in him being restored.

Gibbs nodded his head slowly. "However, I expect that you and McGee can control yourselves while you're on duty."

A wide smile filled Tony's face, and he threw a hand into the air. "Yes!" He exclaimed.

Gibbs laughed quietly at the sight of Tony's reaction. "I'm not saying yes to you and him both working here while in a relationship, DiNozzo. I'm simply thinking _maybe_ there's some way that it has potential, and tomorrow we'll find out."

Tony felt so happy he thought that he might explode. _Sure it doesn't mean that we can stay together, but at least it's a shot at it._ He told himself after he thanked Gibbs multiple times.

"If you screw this up-"

"I'll do my best to not let that happen, boss." Tony quickly replied. Gibbs promptly pulled his hand out of his pocket and smacked it across the back of Tony's head, as if to seal the agreement.

"You better not."

Tony beamed, and then he turned around to go tell McGee before returning to his work.

"By the way, DiNozzo, how _did_ you get those cuts on your face?" Gibbs asked, causing Tony to stop in the doorway. He glanced over his shoulder and replied, "You heard Ziva and I talk about it, didn't you?"

Gibbs paused for a moment, then nodded. "I can picture you getting them from shaving better then from saving McGee from snow and branches." He said, grinning in a way as if to silently communicate that he really believed Tony's original story.

...

"Way to go, Probie. You burned the popcorn!" Tony remarked, picking through the blackened kernels that were inside a large metal bowl.

McGee mumbled something and dropped a cardboard box next to the couch where Tony was sitting. "So sue me. I was busy carrying some of _your_ items into _my_ apartment."

Tony lifted up a dark piece and inspected it before popping it into his mouth. "Eh, it'll be edible with a pound of butter and a handful of salt."

McGee sat himself next to Tony and sighed. Looking straight at him, a slight smirk grew onto his face. "There are still five more boxes of your things out in the car."  
Tony shrugged and put his arm around McGee's shoulder. "We've done enough work for today. Let's just relax and have our movie night now."

"_We've_ done enough work? More like _I've_ done enough work." He replied with a chuckle, glancing down at the bowl in Tony's hands. Snatching it from him, he then stood up and headed into the kitchen. "_I_ think that it needs some butter and salt."

Tony shook his head and leaned further back into the brand new leather couch, its wonderful smell counteracting the burnt aroma of the popcorn. "What, getting Gibbs to give us another shot at behaving ourselves doesn't count as work?"

"You were the one that couldn't keep his hands to himself." McGee replied. "But now that I think about it, I don't know if I could've convinced him to do that."

Tony's eyes slid shut and he smiled. "I'm just gifted."

From the kitchen, subtle laughter could be heard. "Here, the popcorn should be alright now." McGee said, walking back into the room a few minutes later. He placed the bowl onto the table and removed his coat before joining Tony on the couch again.

"What type of movie do you feel like watching?" McGee asked, sliding his arm around Tony's waist. A moment later one of Tony's eyes popped open and his hand wandered back around McGee's shoulder.

"Surprise me." Tony replied, leaning over to kiss McGee's cheek. "After the events of today, I'd be willing to watch anything you felt like."

McGee grinned. "Well in that case, be ready for something outlandish." He replied, getting up from the couch and walking over to his television.

Tony sighed contentedly and let his eye close again. _Whatever's fine with me, McGee. Whatever's fine with me._

_The next chapter involves:_

_-A case that's longer and tougher then planned_

_-An agent suffering multiple gunshot wounds_

_-The part in the story that inspired its name_


	14. The Mantra

As a forewarning, the end of this chapter gets pretty intense. Not to worry, there will be some more lighter-hearted happenings and character building in the next chapter.

_Chapter Fourteen_

_..._

Tony sighed audibly and tossed down another file, marking the end of the fourth stack he had been working on throughout the day. He leaned back in his chair as far as he possibly could and stretched his arms out to the sides, hearing and feeling a few soft cracks in the process. Glancing over to his right, he watched as McGee got up from his spotless desk and crumpled up some papers. McGee then tossed them into his nearby trash can and smiled at Tony for a moment before turning around and walking back towards the break room.

Tony bit down on his lip. _It's pretty weird that we haven't talked much at all today. Maybe all of this extra work has some benefits; after all it stops me from being tempted to…misbehave._ He felt a slight smirk appear on his face at the thought of that word. _I definitely wouldn't want to reenact what happened yesterday._

Tony shifted in his seat. _How long have I been doing this file organizing for, anyway? Didn't I start around three?_

Gazing over at the clock on his computer, he groaned before bringing his arms down to his side.

_Well __**that's**__ a relief. I've only been hunched over this desk for two hours straight catching up on all this poorly sorted paperwork that my replacement just 'happened' to overlook._ His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he looked over the sea of manila folders. _From the looks of all that __**wasn't**__ done right, I'd say that whoever was hired found a way to spend fifteen full work days completing maybe a tenth of what was expected._

Tony jumped as another file was forcefully placed on the center of his desk, and when he looked up his gaze met with Ziva's. Her lips were tightly pressed together and turned up ever so lightly to create a stressed smirk, and the fearsome black fire in her eyes only reinforced her overworked appearance. With a brisk wave of her hand over the document, she then brought it back to rest on her hip.

"I found it mixed in with my things just now. Complements of your worthless replacement." She said. "And don't think that I've forgotten about the affection you displayed yesterday afternoon just because I haven't told you what I think yet." Ziva abruptly turned around and marched back to her desk.

Tony blinked a few times before glancing over at Ziva. "Well, if nothing else it's a good sign you haven't killed me yet." He replied before staring down at the folder, vainly hoping that it was actually empty. He reached forward a lone finger and pried it open, coming face to face with one final set of papers that was done incorrectly and was supposed to have been dealt with four days prior.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me…" Tony muttered to himself, dropping his elbows onto the desk. He then grabbed a pen and clicked it, beginning to chuckle out of frustration.

"Now are you getting a better picture of why I wanted to kill him?" Ziva added while rapidly typing something onto her computer.

Tony briefly scanned through the papers and shook his head. "If my replacement didn't do anything the way he was supposed to, why didn't Gibbs just fire him and get somebody else?"

Ziva ripped open one of her drawers and shoved some folders into it before slamming it shut. "If Gibbs had had a single moment to make sure that he was doing his work correctly, then I'm certain that he would have."

Tony started tapping his pen on the corner of his desk. "I know Gibbs isn't supposed to baby-sit us, but isn't a small part of his job is making sure that we're doing ours?"

Ziva paused, fighting back her urge to chuck something at Tony's head for constantly interrupting her work. "Like I told you _before_, we have spent these past three weeks working on double the amount of cases we usually have. Although that is typical and expected of this time of year, there is that one case in particular which has been more chaotic and stressful then all of the others combined. All of the evidence gathered about it has been leading us on a wild moose chase."

"Its' **goose **chase." Tony corrected. "However, I think I know what you're talking about." He said, scooting his chair further into his desk. "That case involves a heroin addict who was a Lieutenant in the Marine Corps, right?"

Ziva nodded.

Tossing down his pen, Tony then grabbed the mouse of his computer and clicked it a few times to bring up the full case file.

"Gustav van Ostergard. What a name!" Tony said, laughing once. "He got kicked out of the military because his comrade turned him in for his drug usage, and afterwards he went and killed that buddy and butchered another dozen or so people for reasons that we still don't understand." He paused to take a breath. "Sounds like this guy's a _real _charm."

"Don't forget that after that thirteenth victim it was revealed that he had very secret ties to some members of the underground German Mafia which helped him get away after that last murder." Ziva added. "And of course, by the time we figured that much out he vanished into thin air."

"On top of that, right before he disappeared NCIS uncovered reasons to believe that he is doing drug deals with someone in the Northern states." McGee said as he walked into the room, a glazed donut in his hand. "Unfortunately that doesn't tell us anything specific about his location, because between modern technology and his numerous connections, he could be just about anywhere in the world."

Right when McGee was about to bite into his food, Gibbs suddenly came power walking past him and almost knocked the donut out of his hand.

"No time for treats, McGee." He said, a serious tone in his voice as he brushed past the agent. "I need everyone to gear up and be ready to head out in six minutes tops."

Tony watched Gibbs' posture become stiffer as he tossed down three more files onto each agent's desk. When Tony's gaze met Gibbs, his expression was so austere that he immediately dropped his pen and stood up. After a moment, Ziva did the same, and within seconds the team was congregated over where Gibbs was standing.

"What's the situation, boss?" Tony inquired, exchanging glances with Ziva but gazing a little longer at McGee.

"There's just been a huge break in our case." Gibbs replied. He reached out and touched the large screen of the computer monitor that was mounted on the wall, bringing up the case file that they had just been discussing. Scanned copies of documents and an aerial shot of Chesapeake Bay also came onto the screen, and Gibbs turned to the side to face his team.

"All month long, military and cargo ships go in, out, and around this bay." He began, pointing with his finger. "Now every major holiday season has an increase in the number of boats in this region, but for additional safety measures they double check the paperwork of everything and everyone onboard of each vessel." He paused and pressed on the monitor again, and a picture of an extra large cargo ship appeared. "Now this one here had over a dozen containers that were unregistered with the captain, but then after they docked a crewmember named Heinrich came forward with information on those unaccounted containers." Gibbs looked at his three agents before continuing, "Long story short, each one was loaded with every possible form of heroin, _and_ every last one of them had ties that lead back to Gustav." He turned his head to stare at the photo of their suspect. "Apparently Heinrich was once one of Gustav's buyers. He was discharged from the Navy about a week ago and is getting help for his addiction as we speak. According to him, Gustav doesn't know that he's trying to quit."

"So were we able to get any information on where the center of Gustav's operation is?" McGee asked.

Gibbs nodded once. "Yes, Heinrich gave us what he details he remembered about the bay area and river he went up to get the heroin. In exchange for police protection, he was also able to tell us what town Gustav's central operation is near." A second later, an enlarged map of the northern segment of the river that drains into the Chesapeake came onto the screen. Gibbs traced his finger in a small circle outside of a tiny town called Tappahannock before he pressed it onto the monitor.

"Just outside of this rural town is where Heinrich claimed to always have gone to get his heroin. The local and state police offered to assist us in the arrest if need be, but I told them that it wouldn't be necessary."

Tony held up his hand. "Wait a minute. Are you _sure_ we don't need some extra backup, boss? We're dealing with a murderous, drug smuggling, and drug addicted psychopath after all."

Gibbs glanced at Ziva and McGee before looking at Tony and shaking his head. "That source…didn't get their facts straight. Gustav did murder the commanding officer that was responsible for his discharge, but the other twelve people that he 'killed' are all alive and hired hands for the same vessel that his containers were being shipped on." He paused for a moment to point at the screen. "Gustav _hired_ those twelve men to protect his shipment of heroin; the only person we know him to have killed was his officer."

Ziva took a step forward and looked harder at all of the information on the screen. "This is getting to be a very twisted case." She pointed to one of the documents and asked, "So are there no true ties between Gustav and the German Mafia then?"

"That was another piece of misinformation." Gibbs began. "Heinrich and a few other 'hired hands' mentioned that Gustav considers himself to be 'too good' for an underground operation. Supposedly he prefers to do all of his illegal activities by himself and out in the open. Between the four of us it shouldn't be too difficult to take down this one man show."

Tony thought about stepping closer to McGee, but then one look at Gibbs' direct stare made him remain where he was.

"How are we to know which facts are true or not? Including Heinrich, all of our witnesses have criminal backgrounds of one sort or another." McGee wondered aloud, also moving up to get a better look at the screen.

"There isn't time to go through everything with a fine toothed comb right now, McGee." Gibbs replied, moving his eyes off of Tony. "The most we know is that Gustav's central hub is just outside of Tappahannock, Virginia, which is about two hours away from here." He paused before concluding, "We have to leave immediately, otherwise we run the risk of him relocating and disappearing yet again."

The team dispersed and started gathering their gear. McGee was the first one prepared to head out, and as he put a cap on his head he looked over at Tony. He held back a smile as a warm sensation filled his chest, and even though he should have been fully concentrating on the case, the feelings he got by simply watching Tony were overwhelmingly strong.

_Even in this unflattering light, he always manages to look so handsome._ McGee thought, rapidly blinking several times to bring his mind back down to earth. Clearing his throat, he then remembered the question that had passed through his head a moment before he had looked at Tony.

"What if Gustav knew that we would find out and has already moved everything to a new hideout?" McGee finally asked, keeping his attention away from Tony.

Gibbs finished zippering his coat and began walking towards the elevators, the rest of his team behind him a few moments later.

"Then we approach the situation with a different tactic and hunt him down."

...

As the team began passing through the outskirts of Tappahannock, they were surprised by how much the landscape began to change. Instead of rolling hills offset by a distant mountain ridge, the area was completely flat and similar to a plain. There were no longer any power lines, and even the signals of the radio and cell phones were coming and going. An eerie and unusual winter fog had embraced the level ground, and the thin layers of snow and ice over the road only made their drive go even slower.

After another fifteen minutes, McGee nodded in the direction of an old and battered brown picket fence. Gibbs saw it and turned the car into the narrow stone driveway, Ziva and Tony following close behind in another vehicle.

"This is where Gustav's containers originated from." Gibbs quietly said to McGee. "Chances are still pretty decent that we'll find him and the bulk of his heroin on this property."

As they got deeper into the land, the outline of a house came into eyesight. Squinting a bit, McGee was able to see the cream colored home and the porch that wrapped around its front. It had the same appearance as a mid 19th century Southern plantation, but some colonial architecture had also been worked into its design. Several hundred yards from it was a double story barn and a shed half that size, both of which looked heavily damaged from seasonal elements.

Gibbs parked the car underneath a cluster of low trees that was near one of the barns, and he and McGee both climbed out. When they turned around, Ziva and Tony had already gotten out of their vehicle and were double checking their guns for ammunition. McGee instantly felt for his and looked it over as well, putting it back in his holster before making sure his bulletproof vest was on tight enough.

Gibbs pointed at Ziva and Tony before motioning to the crimson building. "DiNozzo, you and David cover the barn while McGee and I search the house and shed. If you find Gustav, keep him alive. We can deal with the drugs after we get him situated. Understood?"

They all looked at each other to reaffirm their actions, and then they split off into different directions.

As Tony followed Ziva towards the barn, he couldn't help but glance over his shoulder at McGee. Almost like clockwork, McGee also looked at Tony, but a single moment later they both turned away.

_No surprise that Gibbs separated the two of us._ Tony thought to himself. _It might not be fun, but I guess it's the price we've got to pay in order to keep our spots on the same team._

Within a minute, he and Ziva were standing in front of the barn. Tony gazed back one more time and watched the two dark forms of Gibbs and McGee disappear into the general area of the house, the peculiar fog making him unable to clearly see whether or not they had gone inside.

"Cover me." Ziva said to Tony, who nodded just before she pulled open one of the doors. With both of their guns pointed straight ahead, both agents quickly stepped inside the dim building.

"Stay on your toes. He could be anywhere." Ziva muttered to Tony, who was inching his way behind her.

"We won't be able to find him if we can't see more then a few feet in front of us." He replied. "I'm going to feel for a light on the wall right over here."

"Don't bother. I've got a flashlight right on my belt." Ziva said, holding her gun steady with one hand and reaching for her light with the other.

Tony continued towards the wall, keeping his gun in front of his body. He held his hand out and started to look for a switch, but right as Ziva turned on her flashlight his body collided with a huge chunk of metal that knocked him backwards.

"Aw, _shit_ that hurt." Tony mumbled to himself, wondering how he had missed seeing the metal block. He tenderly touched his forehead, and as he did a sharp pain filled both his hands and face. Warm liquid drops spread across his fingertips when they traveled across his nose, and when he held his hand back he realized that it was stained with blood.

"Oh, God...Ziva, I think I did a number on my nose here." Tony said, dabbing at it with his other hand while wincing. Glancing over at her, he saw that her eyes were wide open in shock and her expression screamed astonishment. Even her gun wasn't held as high, which came as the biggest surprise to Tony.

_What could possibly be alarming enough for Ziva to lower her gun?_ Tony asked himself, turning to face what he had run into. Taking a few steps back, his eyes could hardly believe what they were seeing. Several steel wheels were on each side of the metal box, both sections joined together by a jagged belt. From the soft glow of Ziva's flashlight, Tony was able to make out a rich green color in the metal. He then glanced up, and mounted on the very top of it was a long and lustrous machine gun pointed directly at him.

Tony was stunned silent, and all he could do was gape. _What kind of solo drug dealer keeps a military tank in his barn?_

"Tony…who exactly are we dealing with?" Ziva finally put into words, her gaze still locked in another part of the building.

Swallowing down the bulge in his throat, Tony stepped towards her and followed her eyes in the direction they were glued. Something in his chest dropped down into his stomach as the contents of the building were made clear to him, and the entire mood of the case grew as bleak and bizarre as the coat of fog that was lurking just outside the doors.

Then again, neither of them had had the slightest idea they would find a barn stocked from front to back and floor to ceiling with military issued equipment.

...

Tony watched Gibbs' face become taut with emotion, and he could just feel the heat of his boss' aggravation surround him like a blaze. Even though the main lighting system had been turned on, the furrows in Gibbs' brow were still deep enough to house their own shadows, and his hands were firmly clasped together behind his back.

"How the hell did that bastard get away with all of this?" Gibbs seethed, his eyes scanning the interior.

Tony couldn't think of anything intelligent to say in response, so he simply held his sleeve over his bloody nose. Ziva and McGee, however, had headed deeper into the barn, and they were already examining every crevice for anything else that could be important.

"Did you not find the heroin, then?" Tony asked, moving the fabric off of his nose while he talked so that his words could be audible.

Gibbs exhaled loudly and glanced over at Tony with an intensity that nearly made his blood curl. He then pulled something out from behind his back and chucked it onto the ground with great force, sending up a puff of dust and causing Tony to twitch. After a few seconds the air settled, and he was able to see that Gibbs had tossed down a bag of powdered sugar.

"He must've known we were coming." Gibbs added, his glare returning to a distant spot in the barn. "The entire shed and second floor of the house were filled with evidence that large quantities of the drug had been there, but at the last minute he must have removed it and replaced it with that. McGee and I even searched the whole grounds, but there's no sign of him anywhere."

McGee suddenly came walking back towards them with a black laptop in his hands, his eyes large and flickering in the light.

"Boss, you're never going to believe what I just found." He said, standing next to Gibbs with the laptop facing him. After a few clicks the screen was painted with documents and charters, each one holding a story about all of the military tanks and artillery that was housed in the building.

Gibbs let out a low frustrated chuckle, shaking his head in the process. Tony scooted himself closer and peered over his shoulder, taking a look at what was on the screen.

"The Black Market." Gibbs muttered. "Gustav was trading his heroin to acquire all of the military supplies on this property."

"You'd need a hell of a lot of drugs to get this much equipment." Tony said, stealing a glance at McGee before looking back down at the blood on his hand.

"That was my first thought exactly." McGee replied, forcing himself to remain focused on the laptop. He then selected another file for Gibbs to see.

"This is going to be a longer case then I had thought." Gibbs said, glancing up to see Ziva walking their way.

"There is no one inside of the tanks or hiding in the rafters, and as far as I can tell most of the stuff in here has never been used." She announced as she placed her gun back into its holster.

Gibbs sighed and rubbed his forehead. "McGee, why don't you put the laptop out in the car so we can take it with us when we leave?" He looked up at Ziva and nodded towards the other agent. "Why don't you accompany him, David?"

McGee and Ziva shook their heads in agreement and began walking towards the door, leaving Gibbs and Tony alone in the barn a moment later.

Tony was beginning to wonder what the other documents that Gibbs had read meant, but by his unsettled appearance he knew that it wasn't anywhere near being positive.

Before he could ask the question, Gibbs gazed over at Tony and answered, "Gustav is running a poppy plantation somewhere here on American soil." He paused, forcefully pushing the bag of powdered sugar away with his foot. "That's why he was able to sell heroin while trading it to acquiring military machinery at the same time."

Tony dabbed at his nose again, and to his relief it had finally stopped bleeding. "His computer didn't say where?"

"I'm sure that it does," Gibbs began. "But I think it would be wiser to let Abby give it a thorough search back at NCIS rather then us try to find it here."

Tony nodded slowly and turned slightly, looking back at the barn doors. Tufts of milky white fog were creeping into the building, extending their lithe arms as they snaked across the ground towards Gibbs and him. A sudden breeze then whipped into the room, lingering on Tony's skin and pricking him with chilled kisses. He shivered, and the wind came as swiftly as it left.

...

The snow quietly crunched underneath a pair of thick boots, their drunken owner doing his best to walk in a continuous straight line. He grumbled to himself about the bitter cold while chewing on his tobacco, spitting it onto the ground a few seconds later. The rifle in his hand was the only thing he needed at the moment, for it was the only thing he knew how to control.

Glancing through a section of trees, he managed to see two black vehicles parked a fair distance from the farmhouse and barn where he had often spent his time. The sight of the unexpected company caused him to snort in disgust, and his fingers immediately went down the side of his weapon.

_How dare there be some sort of party without my approval._ He sneered to himself, raising the tip of the gun to push some branches out of his way. With the steadiest steps he could muster, he soon found himself at the edge of the forest just outside of the property.

McGee and Ziva were at one of the vehicles, and both of them had their back turned to the man. A twisted smile formed onto his face as he cocked his rifle, taking a single step forward and crouching down. Suddenly Ziva turned and began looking in his direction, her gun now at her fingertips.

"McGee, I think I heard something over there." She quickly whispered to him, nodding her head in that direction.

The man in hiding froze in place, wondering if he had somehow made a noise that he hadn't detected. Much to his relief, she then headed towards the trees on the opposite side of where he was.

McGee had just finished putting away the laptop and had placed his hand on top of his holster, glancing around just in case he needed to protect himself.

Ziva was at the front of some trees, her complete attention directed at whatever she had heard there. The crouching man saw it as the perfect opportunity to crash whatever was going on, but right as he stood up and stepped out of the trees his eyes caught a glance of 'NCIS' branded on the side of the vehicle. The realization of just who were on the grounds sparked an intense hatred within him, and his eyebrows slid down into a disgusted scowl.

"I _hate_ your kind." The man muttered to himself, kneeling down in the snow and aiming his rifle at McGee's head.

Ziva continued towards the trees, her gun out and prepared to shoot at any given moment. When she realized that the sounds she had heard were coming from a group of squirrels, the man saw her shake her head and let her arms relax back down to her sides.

If it wasn't for the man's intoxication, he would have been a flawless marksman, but no matter how hard he tried the liquor made him unable to hold a target. His aim shifted in all directions, and just after his finger settled onto the trigger he closed one eye. With a single yank at it he opened fire, and a round of bullets tore through the air and headed straight for McGee's back.

Ziva instantly whipped around and saw the man, sending a handful of bullets straight into his head a split second later. She then ran back to the other side of the vehicle, only to find that it and McGee had been shot.

"McGee!" She yelled, finding him slouched against the vehicle and holding his lower back and abdomen. His face was twisting and contorting from pain, and he gritted his teeth to keep from screaming.

Tony and Gibbs were sprinting towards Ziva and McGee with their weapons out and prepared to fire, but Tony instantly lowered his gun and dropped to his knees when he got close enough to see what had happened. Everything suddenly began going in slow motion, and although at first he heard everything that Gibbs and Ziva were yelling about their words faded into the fog once he laid eyes on the jagged row of six bullet wounds in McGee's abdomen that were oozing blood. He found his mind empty and blank, and the air that began to surround him was so heavy and stained with the instantaneous guilt he had for not being able to have done something to prevent the situation it caused his lungs to close.

As McGee began going into shock, Tony saw the silhouette of his breath cloud in front of his face before disappearing altogether. Though he forced himself to his feet and moved closer to help McGee, Gibbs and Ziva had already called in emergency backup and the property was being swarmed with squad cars and ambulances. The sound of the sirens pierced Tony's ears, and just when he placed his hand against McGee's a group of paramedics moved past him and lifted his body onto a gurney.

As Tony watched the chaos unfold, he felt himself grow numb. As he stood and gazed at the flashing lights of the vehicles, a single word fluttered into his memory and instantly became his mantra.

_Please._

_..._

_The next chapter includes:_

_-McGee and Tony spending Christmas in the hospital's ICU_

_-Hope brought from a visiting Santa Clause_

_-Ziva sharing her thoughts with Tony_

_-A gift in green and gold_


	15. Degrees of Darkness

I did my best to add vivid descriptions and appropriate dialogue with each character in this chapter, and despite the overall darker tone I hope you enjoy reading it.

Please review! And the poll is still open on my profile if you haven't taken it yet.

_Chapter Fifteen_

_..._

**_Please_.**

Tony had never felt such thick air before. Every time he moved the slightest, every time he took in a breath, its weight would crush him back to square one. Although he managed to strain his neck and catch a glimpse of the sleeping world outside of the hospital window, it did little to calm his mind. The rising hills of fog were tipped with silver in the moonlight, but their metallic luster only reminded him of the reason why he was in an emergency waiting room to begin with.

There was almost a new degree of darkness settling across the midnight horizon that Tony watched for a short while before getting to his feet. Slowly but with a silent passion, he wandered closer to the glass to take in a better look at what was out there.

The bitter land seemed to stretch its arms out across every corner of the Earth, and with a swipe of its empty hand all signs of life were hidden. Not even the flickering lights from the distant farmhouses could provide any warmth to the forsaken winter ground, and even the strongest trees seemed to bow and plead for mercy in the night's shadows.

Tony leaned his overtired and aching body against a nearby wall, a sigh escaping over his chapped lips as he did so. He ran his tongue across them in hopes of at least a temporary smoothness, but then a thought made him brush them together with his fingertips.

_I'm not sure if I kissed him today._

Tony let his head fall against the window as he let out a sigh, the air from his mouth clouding up against the chilled glass. He then heard the sound of steady footsteps approaching him from behind, but a second later they stopped.

"DiNozzo." Gibbs called out, waiting for his agent to turn and face him before continuing.

Tony pushed himself back up into a standing position and shifted himself towards Gibbs. After briefly brushing his hair back, he replied, "Yeah, boss?"

Gibbs stood perfectly straight as he inched a bit closer to Tony, the gleam in his eyes strong but still gentle. He cleared his throat and glanced over both of his shoulders, then reached up his hand and firmly grasped Tony's shoulder.

"I've seen a number of gunshot wounds in my life." Gibbs began, the tone of his voice smooth and comforting to Tony's ear. "I may not be a doctor, but I can tell you that they tend to appear worse than they really are." He paused thoughtfully before continuing, "It didn't look like the bullets severed any arteries, but there's always a chance that damage was done to the surrounding organs."

Tony quickly nodded his head and looked away. _What does he mean by 'a chance of damage?' Isn't that generally the softer way people are told that a loved one isn't going to be alright?_ His gaze shifted down to the floor, and as it did he silently wished that a hole would appear and swallow him up so that he and his concerns might simply disappear together.

Chuckling quietly out of stress, Tony forcefully rubbed his closed eyes. A genuinely fake smile soon spread across his face, and he forced himself to act as usual.

"That's it? Well that's…that's not too bad." He replied sardonically, tilting his head to the side so Gibbs couldn't look directly at him. "At least Probie will live another day, right?"

Immediately after saying that, Tony felt a slight ache in his chest. His eyes then met with Gibbs, and it was painfully obvious that his words were nothing more than a false pretense. Even still, Tony retained his confident posture, because he wasn't sure how to wear his pain without also appearing defenseless.

Although there had been dozens of incidences before where Gibbs had questioned Tony's sincerity towards McGee, he could no longer just overlook their relationship. As he studied the level of affection that was sewn into Tony's face, the thought of his two agents being together seemed like less of a bad thing. They had both been performing at their peaks, even when near each other, and the warmth that could be sensed between them affected Gibbs in a less rigid way then he had planned.

_You honestly weren't just messing around, were you._ Gibbs pondered, the side of his mouth curving up just enough to be called a slight grin. _And in all honesty, I'm beginning to wonder if the lesser evil is to let you be with each other. To make a relationship last involves a level of dedication and strength that could be… beneficial to the team, so long as you both keep your hands to yourself._

Gibbs watched Tony's gaze hungrily dart from one doctor to the next, still quietly but anxiously waiting to find out just what was going on. Gently shaking his shoulder, Gibbs waited for a short while before Tony tilted his head to look back at his boss. After a shallow breath, Gibbs bent forward and quietly said, "Sarcasm can't protect you forever, Tony. And if you don't give yourself a break once in awhile, you'll end up even more distraught then you were before." He paused as a questioning look filled Tony's eyes, and then he added, "Why don't you go down to the cafeteria and get yourself something? It would give you some breathing room and time to be alone. If anything happens with McGee, I'll send a message straight to your phone."

Tony remained motionless, but then he began nodding in agreement. "You got it, boss." He replied, the subdued tone of his voice letting Gibbs know that he was fully understood.

...

Tony's eyes wandered from one display of food to the next, everything looking delicious and repulsive at the same time. His mind didn't even want to think about getting near any of it, but as his stomach let out a soft groan he knew that he'd have to take something.

Out of the corner of his eye, a vibrant green apple attracted his attention. Taking a few steps towards it, he reached out and picked it up. As he gazed over its luscious color, he actually felt his mouth begin to water. Holding it up to his lips, he was about to bite into it before a hand grabbed his wrist and pulled it away.

"You know you need to pay for that first, right?" Ziva remarked, pulling a dollar bill out of her pocket and handing it to the nearby cashier.

Tony blinked a few times and held the apple away from his face, wondering how he had forgotten about money. He then glanced over at the man at the register who was eyeing him suspiciously before replying, "Oh, yeah."

Ziva watched Tony dig through his pockets for some change to give back to her, but she held up her hand in protest.

"I asked Gibbs where you were going, but he refused to tell me until I told him why I needed to know." She stated as she followed Tony to an empty table.

"What made you want to know where I was going?" Tony asked as he dropped himself down onto the hard plastic bench.

Ziva watched as Tony bit into the apple, his teeth breaking the skin in one loud crunch. She softly cleared her throat, then replied, "I do not know if now would necessarily be the _best_ time for me to discuss this, but I do think that it's the _right_ time."

The way Ziva had worded her sentence made Tony stop chewing for a moment. He swallowed what was in his mouth, and she continued speaking.

"Even though I do not understand what you and McGee mean to each other, I do not think of you two any differently." Ziva began, scooting a bit closer to him. "It is not my place to judge anyone, especially a coworker and friend."

Tony couldn't help but notice the sincerity tied into her expression, and it was plain to him that she was trying her best to remain sensitive. He shifted in his seat and took another bite of his apple, this time eating it a little quieter.

"I can see that you have enough on your mind as it is, but there are just a few things I must say before I leave you alone." Ziva then glanced away, but before she spoke again her eyes met with his.

"After realizing that your kiss to him was not a joke, I decided to figure out what was going on between you two. Whenever I was given the chance to watch you and McGee interact with each other after that, I did." She paused and placed her hands on top of the table. "I always found that even on the days when you were exhausted or irritable, McGee would manage to put a smile on your face. Even if he simply walked past your desk, I could see that his presence alone gave you a radiance that I have not seen before." Ziva laughed softly to herself, then added, "As strange as all of this may sound coming from me, I really do think that you and him are…are a good pair."

Tony had gotten so focused on what Ziva had been saying that the apple in his hand had been neglected and was starting to brown. He hadn't been expecting her to give him the response that she did, and so his mind drew a temporary blank.

"Uh, thanks." Tony finally said, hoping that the mess of a grin on his face told her how nice it had been to hear what she had said.

Ziva slowly stood up and relaxed her stance before returning his smirk with one of her own.

"McGee is fortunate to have you."

With a single nod of her head, she turned around and left him at the small table.

Before Tony got a chance to mull over what Ziva had said, his pocket began to vibrate. He dropped his apple on the table and tore into his jacket, whipping out his phone in seconds. As he flipped it open and read over the text, he felt his heart rate double.

_McGee wants to see you._

_..._

Tearing down the hallways with enough passion to crack open a diamond, Tony was growing impatiently nervous. The patterns on the linoleum tile beneath his feet blended together as he headed towards the closest elevator, picking up speed with every stride.

_Since McGee wants to see me, does that mean everything went okay?_ He wondered as the glowing directional buttons came into view. As Tony grew closer to the elevator, he just barely dodged a nurse and a patient heading in the opposite direction. He quickly glanced down an adjacent hallway to make sure that nobody else was coming, but before he could look at the other side he smacked right into someone.

"Whoa, there." Tony muttered in response, looking down at the small man wearing a Santa Clause costume that he almost knocked over. He then kept on walking, but something about the man caused him to pause and take a second glance. He couldn't have been more than five feet tall, and the deep wrinkles around his black eyes only added to his aging physique. The bright red bag that was draped over his shoulders was almost larger than him, and Tony silently wondered how he managed to carry it.

"You didn't already find a lump of coal in your stocking now, did you?" The little Santa shouted to Tony as he halted just in front of the elevator door.

Tony suddenly coughed a few times, covering his mouth with his hand before pressing the call button. Turning around to face the Santa, he groaned and shook his head. "I wish it was something that simple."

The Santa was mumbling some incoherent things as he walked over to Tony's side, the satin bag now draped over his opposite shoulder. He then bent forward and inspected the three elevator buttons before lightly pushing on the same one as Tony.

"You do not seem very joyous for it being the eve of Christmas." The Santa remarked as the doors slid open and Tony ran inside.

"Is there anything that I could do to help?" He asked, stepping inside and dropping his bag on the floor.

Tony couldn't help but snort at the question. As the elevator passed by the second floor, he glanced down at the Santa's glossy eyes and replied, "Not unless you can take six bullets out of someone and return them to full health."

The Santa furrowed his brow and looked away, running his fingers through his long white beard. "I don't take things from people, but I can give you something instead."

Tony rubbed his forehead and impatiently tapped his foot, feeling the elevator slow down as it approached the third floor. Right as he looked up at the opening door, a package wrapped in gold paper was shoved into his face.

"You will find a good use for this, Tony." The Santa said, a spirited smirk showing through his whiskers.

Tony blinked a few times and paused just outside of the elevator, the little Santa following close behind with the gift still in hand.

"How do you know my name?" He asked, curiously glancing over the long present. The Santa immediately laughed, his protruding stomach shaking a bit as he did so. "It is a part of the job!" He enthusiastically replied as Tony took the gift from him. "Besides, nobody should be without at least one hopeful thing at Christmas."

Tony continued to gaze at the box before turning it over and around for a better look. The only thing adorning it was a simple crimson ribbon, but against the golden paper it seemed perfect.

_Even though I have no clue what this is, it's…a nice thought._ He mused, the silky texture of the ribbon brushing against his skin. However, when he looked back up to thank the peculiar Santa for the gift he was nowhere in sight.

...

"I thought you'd never come."

A huge weight fell off of Tony's chest when he heard McGee's voice. Although he was straining to smile at Tony from the hospital bed, for the most part he didn't look too terrible. Gibbs and Ziva were standing on either side of him, and they both glanced at Tony as he quickly joined them.

"How are you holding up?" Tony asked, his eyes as wide as his smile as he rested a hand not too far from McGee's.

The edge of McGee's lips managed to keep their upward curve even as his eyelids were fighting to stay open. He muttered something in response, and then his head turned and slipped back against the pillow beneath him.

"He just got out of surgery." Gibbs said while looking from McGee to Tony. "The anesthesia is going to take a little while to fully wear off, but I know you would still benefit from seeing each other."

Tony nodded at Gibbs, and then over at McGee. "So what did the doctors say about him? How did the surgery go?"

Gibbs took a breath and exchanged glances with Ziva before replying, "For of the six bullets managed to land in pockets of non-vital tissue, and the surgeons said that those areas will heal up just fine." He then silently looked back at McGee before adding, "The other two, however, landed in his kidneys."

"Well…they were able to remove those two bullets, right?" Tony asked, feeling an emotional brick collide with his stomach.

It seemed like an eternity until Gibbs responded, but when Tony saw him shake his head up and down he felt like exploding in relief.

"Luckily enough, they were. Although because of those delicate wounds, McGee is required to spend at least three more days here in the ICU ward before he is either moved to general care or is discharged." Gibbs said.

Tony placed his hand against the edge of the bed, almost feeling happy enough to faint. "I am so glad to hear you say that." He replied, gently rubbing his forehead.

"Who is that for?" Ziva asked as she moved closer to Tony, pointing to the gift that was still in his grasp. As she began to visually inspect the gold wrapping, he shifted it around and held it out in front of himself.

"Uhm, it's for me, actually. When I was coming up here I ran into a Santa Clause, and he…" Tony paused for a second to watch Ziva and Gibbs exchange curious glances before adding, "…gave it to me."

After a silent moment, Ziva snorted. Gibbs eyebrow began to slip upwards, and he replied, "You know, I don't think I'm going to ask about this one."

...

The expression on McGee's face was much more vibrant two and a half hours later. The effects of the anesthesia had worn off to the point at which he could hold up a conversation, and Tony was pleased to engage him in one.

"I was getting pretty worried about you, McGee." Tony began, pulling a chair over to McGee's bedside. "After over two hours had passed with nobody saying anything about your condition, I was really wondering what was going on."

McGee made a slight motion with his hand. "Except for a bit of grogginess, I feel alright." Turning his head to look at the machines he was hooked up to, he added, "Then again, they're probably pumping tons of morphine into me so I don't have to experience any pain. I know I was shot, but they really don't have to give me an analgesic cocktail."

"You were shot _six_ times!" Tony corrected. "And _two_ of those shots went into your kidneys. Do you know how uncomfortable you'd be right now if there wasn't a good amount of painkillers in you?"

McGee sighed, and then looked at him in a matter-of-fact way. "Tony, in our line of duty we shoot and get shot at so much that I'm almost getting used to it. Bullet wounds and cross fires are just another part of our job."

"Well sure, but tell me how many times have you gotten this banged up at one time? Never!" Tony said, reaching his hand out to wrap his fingers with McGee's. "I have dozens of reasons as to why I was so nervous during your surgery…starting with this one." He then lifted McGee's hand to his lips and gently kissed the top of it.

Smirking a little, McGee replied, "You know, even though I've got to spend Christmas here in the hospital I don't think it'll be too bad." He tightened his grip on Tony's hand and asked, "You're going to be here, right?"

Tony nodded. "Unless, of course, you get sick of me and want me to leave."

McGee chuckled. "The only thing I'm going to miss having this Christmas is a tree. That's always been one of my favorite parts about this time of year."

Tony opened his mouth to say something, but instead several harsh coughs came out. His chest shook with each one, and even though he tried to smother them with his hand it didn't do much to help. After nearly a minute, his coughing fit ended and he felt himself grow warmer.

"Sorry about that, Probie." Tony said, breathing slowly to regain his composure. "I started coughing earlier today and it just hasn't gone away yet."

McGee pursed his lips together. "Maybe you're coming down with something."

Tony shrugged his shoulders, and as he did McGee shifted himself in his bed. As he adjusted to his new position, his eyes fell upon the golden wrapped box laying on the other side of the room.

"What's that for?" He asked, pointing towards it.

"You." Tony immediately spat out, standing up from his chair and walking over to get it while wondering why he gave the answer he did.

"You didn't have to get me anything." McGee said as Tony brought it to him. He carefully glanced over its paper and ribbon, and then took it into his lap.

Tony went back over to his chair and sat down. "Why don't you open it up and see what's in there?"

McGee glanced over at him before beginning to remove the ribbon and wrapping paper, finding a plain brown cardboard box underneath. Tony eagerly watched as he opened up the top, and they were both as excitedly clueless about what was inside as each other.

Even though McGee was on so many medications, Tony could see his face light up as he reached into the box and pulled out a small faux Christmas tree.

"I can't believe you knew to get me such a perfect gift!" McGee said, feasting his eyes on the little lights that were already sewn into the two foot tree.

"Imagine that." Tony said, the laughter in his throat running dry. He quickly glanced to his right, thinking he saw a red suited man walk past, but there was nobody there.

"There are even some ornaments in here." McGee said, pulling out a transparent purple bag that was full of little metal and plastic figures.

Tony bit down on his lip, withholding a grin from his face, and slowly turned his attention back to McGee. "Why don't you help me set it up on the nightstand?" He suggested, stretching out his foot to push the piece of furniture closer to the bed. McGee straightened out the tree's branches before handing it to him, and then Tony set it in place.

"Wait a second, Tony." McGee softly said, reaching his hand out and placing it near Tony's neck. He instantly froze, the delicate touch from McGee's fingers sending a pleasant shiver down his spine. McGee lightly pulled his face towards him, and Tony put his hand on his other side to steady himself.

"Thank you." McGee nearly whispered, looking directly into Tony's eyes. The tips of their noses were just about touching as their gazes remained locked in place, and before Tony thought he would go insane their lips pressed together and sealed off the distance.

...

Just outside of the room, a lone nurse was filling out the charts on her last clipboard. As she stood and completed writing down the tedious but necessary information, she let out a heavy sigh. Every once and awhile, she'd steal a glance at Tony and McGee, and every time it brought a smile to her weary face.

"Just look at those two, doctor." She remarked, turning the page in her hand over. "They really care about each other."

The doctor, who had been standing several feet away, looked over his shoulder to see what she was talking about. He took a few steps closer, stopping just short of where she was.

"Personally I've never been fond of relationships involving two men." He replied, walking past her to get to his chart.

She rolled her eyes, but continued to finger through McGee's surgical statement. As she read it over, a frown began to form on her face. "The concluding report is still undisclosed. Do you want me to inform the patient on his condition?"

The doctor paused, then asked, "Is he the patient with the damaged kidneys?"

"Yes, sir." She replied, her attention still fully focused on the pages.

The doctor cleared his throat and looked back into the room, once again observing the way Tony and McGee were interacting with each other. The nurse glanced up at him, and after a few moments she saw his face soften.

"Let them spend this night just the way they are." He began. "After all, the patient's situation is going to remain the same whether they are told tonight or tomorrow, and with it being the holiday season I'm sure they would appreciate a night without any further interruptions."

The nurse couldn't help but smile a bit as she jotted down the doctor's orders, and she nodded when she was done. "Everything here is set, doctor."

He looked at her and shook his head once. "I'll see you in the morning then. Have a Merry Christmas." He said, taking the clipboard from her hands and waving goodnight to her.

The nurse slowly walked down the empty hallway towards the exit, her mind beginning to wander from exhaustion. As she passed by a window, she stopped to look out at the night, but she soon continued on her way. The pitch black land she had seen reminded her of the empty coffins resting down in the hospital's morgue, and just the thought of it was twice as unnerving. Even the snowflakes, tossed around by the merciless wind, were howling like madmen against the glass panes, but their cries of torment were only just beginning.

...

_The next chapter includes:_

_-Gibbs & Ziva making an alarming discovery about the case_

_-The underlying cause of Tony's cough is uncovered_

_-Journaling on some hospital stationary_

_-An empty chair_

**Please review!**


End file.
